What If's?
by ThreeBulletNecklace
Summary: A collection of loosely-linked one-shots exploring Max and Chloe's new-found relationship in an alternate, post-tornado San Francisco timeline. Herein lies mucho fluff, a little bit of drama, and probably too many uses of the word "hella". Also a semi-sequel to my other story "It's a Different Kind of Love"
1. Warnings

**Chapter 1 - Warnings**

Time blurred and dilated around her mind as the interior of the plane faded to white. Jumbled events ran through her mind, changing constantly as the new timeline began to lock into place. A few moments later time snapped back into focus, and Max found herself stood in the entrance to a gallery, besides Principal Wells. Only one thought was occupying her mind: the tornado. She knew she had succeeded in taking down Jefferson, as her current spot in time and space attested, but simply getting Jefferson arrested wouldn't be enough to change a major meteorological event, would it?

As Principal Wells chatted to the receptionist, Max checked her phone. The time read 5:47pm. Max's eyes widened, the tornado was only a few hours away. _I have to warn people!_ She thought, hastily thumbing through her contacts. She pressed the call button and held the phone to her ear, hands shaking slightly.

 _Please be there. Please be there. Please be there._

She had almost given up hope of her call being answered when the ringing stopped, and a familiar voice emanated through the headset.

"'Sup Max, how's my own personal superhero?"

"Chloe! Holy shit you have no idea how good it is to hear your voice!"

"Dude, chill. You saw me yesterday, remember? You wouldn't stop talking about how excited you were about going to 'Frisco. I had to use my hella sexy makeouts limit break just to get you to shut up."

"Chloe, I'm really sorry but I don't remember any of that. I don't have any memories of what's happened in this timeline or reality or whatever yet."

"But it was literally just yesterday and – wait, you said timeline and realities and shit. Is this one of your rewind things that you're gonna have to explain to me like five times before I get it?"

"Sorry Chlo, but yeah, it is. And I'm gonna explain all of it to you, I promise, but right now I need you to listen to me, this is hella important."

"Calm your panties, Maxipad. What's so important? did Wells hit on you or something?"

"I'm serious, Chloe. For once in your life I need you to turn the sass off and take this seriously."

At that moment Max could've sworn she managed to hear Chloe raise her eyebrows.

"Alright, Max, I'm listening. What's up?"

"OK, I thought that Jefferson getting arrested would fix everything, but now I'm not so sure. It just doesn't make sense that taking him down would stop the tornado I've been seeing from happening."

"Wait, so you're saying you think it'll still happen?"

"Yes, Chloe. And if I'm right there's only a few hours left.

"... Fuck. Max, what do we do?"

Max thought for a few seconds, mind racing through possibilities.

"Get your Mom and David and everyone else you can think of, and either get the hell out of town or go to the Prescott's bunker. I'm pretty sure that thing could survive a nuke."

"Alright. What about everyone else in the town?"

"I'm gonna contact Warren, Victoria and everyone else I know at Blackwell and get them to spread the word. Hopefully that'll be enough."

"Shit, Max, you sound scared. This is really gonna happen, isn't it?"

"I don't want it to, but I think it will. Please Chloe, just get to safety. I can't lose you again."

"You're not going to. You and me, we're bonded for life. You're not getting rid of me that easy, Caulfield, tornado or no tornado."

"I believe you, Chlo. Keep in contact with me, you got that? I need to know if you're safe, otherwise I think I'll go crazy worrying about you, and Joyce, and everyone else."

"I will, Max. I'll go talk to them now, convince them you know what you're talking about. It shouldn't be hard, you've got like a 100% record for saving my ass this week. See you on the other side of this."

"Wait, Chloe! Don't hang up yet."

"Max?"

"If – if anything happens ... I love you."

"Nothing's gonna happen, Max, I promise. And when I see you we can say all the mushy shit in person."

"I'll hold you to that." Max said, tears filling her eyes and her voice barely climbing above a whisper.

"You better. I suck at goodbyes, so I'm just gonna hang up, okay, Max?"

"Okay, Chloe. I'll see you soon, hopefully"

She pressed the end call button, staring blankly at her phone as she let out several giant panic breaths, until she felt dizzy and had to sit down before she physically collapsed.

 _Please be enough._ She thought. _I can't lose her again, and no one in Arcadia Bay deserves to be killed by a fucking tornado._ She looked out at the sky, hoping against hope that she'd succeeded.

 _Please be enough,_ she thought again, tears rolling softly down her cheeks.

 _Please._


	2. Aftermaths

So originally I was going to wait until later today or tomorrow before posting the follow up chapter, but a very nice comment inspired me to post it now, instead of waiting. It continues pretty much directly on from Warnings, though it does skip ahead several days to the aftermath of the tornado. Sorry, but there's very little Pricefield in this chapter, but the fluffy goodness is coming, I promise.

A note about continuity: I forgot to mention in the last chapter that this can be seen as taking place in the same timeline as my other story: It's A Different Kind of Love, though you don't really need to have read that to understand Max and Chloe's relationship in this AU. But all the chapters in this take place chronologically, unless stated otherwise.

Disclaimer: blah blah blah I don't own Life is Strange etc...

Further edit: As this takes place in the alternate San Francisco timeline, I'm officially dubbing it the Friscoverse.

 **Aftermaths**

"Hello, Vanessa Caulfield speaking."

Max took a deep breath. "Hi Mom … it's me."

"Max? MAX?! Oh thank god you're alright!"

She heard her mother turn away from the phone momentarily. "Ryan! It's Max! She's ok!" And then, further in the distance, she heard her dad reply. "She is? Thank fuck for that. You tell her we've been worried sick about her!"

"That was your Dad, he says-"

"I could hear him, Mom. It's kinda hard not to. Mom? Mom, are you okay?"

The unmistakable sounds of sobbing emanated from the handset, undoubtedly coming from Vanessa. After a few more seconds, she heard her Mom take several deep breaths. "I- I'm fine, sweetie. We've just been so worried; we heard the news and saw the footage of the storm, and then we couldn't contact you and – and-".

Her Mom dissolved into tears again. In that moment, Max wished more than anything she could hug her parents and let them know everything was okay. But in the absence of physical reassurance, just talking would have to do.

"Mom? Mom, hey, I'm alright, nothing hurt me. I promise, if I could have contacted you sooner I would have, but the storm knocked out cell towers for miles. I'm on one of the few working phones in town right now, and honestly, they're in huge demand right now. I got lucky even managing to get a few minutes to talk to you two right now."

The distinct sounds of yet more tears being stifled came, before Vanessa responded. "Oh Max, you don't have to give us excuses, sweetie. We're just so glad you're alive, and unhurt."

"Yeah, I got lucky. I wasn't even in Arcadia Bay when the storm hit. When Principal Wells got word of what had happened, he rented a car and drove us right back up to Arcadia Bay, as all the flights were grounded. It took two days." Max paused, looking out of the window at the still clearly visible wreckage.

"Honestly Mom, Arcadia Bay's been hit so freaking hard. Most of the waterfront is completely gone. Blackwell's come out of it okay, so we're all staying up here for now. It's been turned into a sort-of refugee camp for everyone whose homes were destroyed." Her voice wavered. "Though … a lot of people didn't make it out alive … I knew a few of them ..." She trailed off, thinking of everyone who hadn't made it: Nathan Prescott (for all the horror he had caused people, Max couldn't bring herself to think that he deserved to die), Dana, Samuel, Justin and poor, unassuming Alyssa.

"Oh god, honey I'm so sorry. What about the Prices? I remember you saying you'd reconnected with Chloe before... Did - did they...?" This time it was Vanessa's turn to tail off.

"They're all alive." Max said, unable to keep a strong note of relief out of her voice. "Chloe's step-dad got her into a storm bunker literally minutes before the tornado hit." She paused, having to swallow before she could go on.

"Joyce was - she's- she's hurt, Mom. When David found her she was alive, but she broke her leg in three places. She's in the hospital right now, but they're... They're not sure if they'll be able to save it. Chloe hasn't left her side for one second either."

"Oh no... Max, that's awful. Please give them all our love, and let them know we're thinking of them."

"I will." Max promised.

"Do you need anything hon? Do you think you need to come home with us?"

Max paused for a long moment before replying. "I don't think I can, Mom. Chloe needs me so much right now, though I miss you guys more than anything."

"Then we'll come to you, as soon as we're able, ok? You're still our baby girl, and right now you need us."

Max smiled to herself, knowing from the tone of her voice that nothing, not even another tornado, would be able to stop a determined Vanessa Caulfield and her husband.

"OK Mom. Just, be safe on your way here. Please."

She glanced behind her, noticing the queue for the phone was starting to pile up.

"I'm gonna have to go, but I love you guys, so much."

"We love you too, sweetie. And we'll be there as soon as possible, I promise. Now you go and see to Chloe and Joyce. Sounds like they need you as much as you need us."

"Got it. And I'll tell them what you said. Love you, Mom."

"Love you too, Max. Stay safe."

Max hung up the phone, mouthing a " _sorry"_ to the next person in line, and walked back down the bustling hallway, heading towards Blackwell's exit. Simply knowing her parents would be there in a matter of days was enough to lift what felt like a great weight off her back.

Upon exiting the battered Academy, she drew herself up and squared her shoulders. Although the tornado had annihilated much of the town, it would take a lot more than that to break Arcadia Bay, and to break her. A look of steely determination settled onto her face. She had a best friend to support, and she wasn't going to let her down now.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and as always, please leave some feedback if you want. I have to say that writing Vanessa Caulfield was the biggest challenge in this chapter, as you don't really get a sense of what her personality is like or how she interacts with other characters from the little you hear of her in the game, other than it being obvious she really cares deeply for and loves Max. So I chose to interpret her as an incredibly caring mother willing to do anything for her child, as I like matriarchal figures like that. Though hopefully she didn't come across as overbearing.

Anyway, the Pricefield fluff is coming next chapter, I promise. Honestly, I felt I had to write this chapter because it felt weird skipping straight from a drama heavy chapter like Warnings, to the one I've got coming up. You'll see why.

Hope you guys enjoyed this, and I'll see you all real soon. Peace out.


	3. Status Quo

What's this? A third chapter so soon? Yeah, to be honest I just wanted to get to the fluffy Pricefield goodness., and since the response to the first two chapters has been largely positive, I couldn't resist. This chapter takes place four months after the last one, so that's my excuse for if the tone change seems jarring or anything. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this, and I'll see you at the end.

Yeah, I'm also upping the rating to M in this one, just in case. You'll see why.

Disclaimer: C'mon, if I owned LiS, I wouldn't be sat here. I'd be making the writers sit down and write a version of the game that ends in makeouts.

 **Status Quo**

"So, uh, Max, before you freak out; I may have done a little something."

Max halted in the middle of hanging her hoodie up and eyed Chloe suspiciously. Her partner's "little something's" were very often the complete opposite of what she claimed.

"Chlo-" She began.

"It's something good, I promise." Interrupted the blue haired punk. When the brunette remained unconvinced – Chloe could've sworn Max's eyes narrowed even further – she crossed the room in three long strides and grabbed her girlfriend by the wrist, gently pulling her in the direction of Chloe's bed, where her laptop sat.

Seeing where they were headed, Max raised an eyebrow. "Chloe, I swear to god if this is another thing where you show me your laptop and I find you've stolen my favourite plushie, attached a strap-on to it and shotgunned pictures of it all over the internet, I'm denying you sex for two weeks. Again."

Chloe shuddered, remembering the last time that had happened, and how pent-up she'd been by the end of it. "Chill out, Maxipad. It's nothing like that." She said, making a mental note to delete the pictures of the stuffed bear and elephant engaged in heavy S&M as soon as possible.

She collapsed onto the bed, rolling around like a restless cat. "Have you looked at your phone in the last half hour or so, B-T-Dubs?"

Max shook her head, confused. "Nah, my battery shuffled off the mortal coil on my way here."

Chloe smirked. "In that case you might wanna plug that sucka in and check your messages." She waggled her eyebrows at Max.

Sighing, Max dug her phone out of her pocket and rooted around for a charger. "You know you're just making it worse for yourself when you say shit like that, right?" She said, in a voice drier than Kristen Stewart's acting. Finally managing to find an appropriate charger, she watched as life surged back into her now fairly battered phone. Unlocking it, she found she had two missed calls from her parents and a bunch of messages from Warren, Kate, Brooke, Joyce and even Victoria.

 **Warren: Rocking the commitment to the max I see (pun totes intended)**

 **Kate: I'm so happy for you right now, Max! You two are adorable! Much love :)**

 **Brooke:** **Hah! I knew when I caught that girl sneaking out of your room at 3am it wasn't innocent, as you so claimed. Congrats btw, gaying it up suits you.**

 **Joyce: Well I for one am so glad to see you two so happy. You both deserve it so much, especially after last year. XO**

 **Victoria: As if we all didn't know already #totallyobvious. BTW I am actually happy for you, I guess.**

Max put her phone away and looked up at a beaming Chloe.

"Chlo, have you done what I'm thinking you've done?"

Chloe, if it was even possible, beamed more and showed Max her laptop. In the middle of the screen, right above the first picture the two had taken together when Max returned to Arcadia Bay, were the words:

" **Max Caulfied is in a relationship with Chloe Price."**

Max's jaw dropped. "Holy shit, Chloe. That's – I don't … I don't even have the words. But, weren't keeping it between ourselves for now? And what about other people? How are they gonna see us now and-"

Chloe placed her fingers over the shorter woman's lips, stilling the nervrous stream of words before they could become a torrent.

"Max, I don't give a flying fuck what other people think. I am so incredibly hella proud to have you as my partner in crime, and I really, really mean that. Like, I don't even have the words to express just how happy you make me, and I'm sure as hell not gonna hide it from everyone. And dude, just look at all the messages you just got. No one's gonna give us shit about this, and if they do, I'll kick 'em in whatever pair of genitals they have so hard their future kids will be wiped from existence, _Back to the Future-_ style."

She stopped after that, noticing Max's bottom lip was quivering, and she had tears brimming in her eyes. "Oh shit, I said something wrong, didn't I? God damn it, Price, you still can't go five minutes without fucking something up-"

She was cut short by Max's lips assaulting her own, kissing her ferociously. Caught in a tight embrace, they staggered backwards, landing on the bed in a tangled heap. "I love you. So. Fucking. Much." Max managed to breathe between kisses. Chloe pulled away for a second, a beatific smile on her face. "I love you too, Max. And do you know how hella cute it is when you tackle me like that?"

Max's only response was to tangle her fingers in Chloe's hair and bring their lips back together. "Just shut up and kiss me." She mumbled into her girlfriend's mouth. And, more than happy to oblige her, Chloe did.

A couple of hours later, the happy couple sat nestled on Chloe's bed under a heavy woollen blanket, arms wrapped around each other. Max had picked _Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within_ to watch, much to Chloe's chagrin. As if sensing Chloe's lack of interest in the movie, Max began idly stroking her hair and asked "So what made you want to make us go all public like that?"

The blue-nette frowned a little, her forehead crinkling slightly. "I guess it was just my way of, I dunno, making a statement? I mean, with Rachel, I loved her so much, but she gave so little back, and she never told anyone we were ever maybe-sort-of a thing. And she definitely never told Frank. So this just... Felt like the right thing, I guess? 'Cos we've been banging each other for what, like four months now and hadn't told anyone... Officially, anyway. I'm pretty sure the rest of your dorm figured out you had someone keeping you company at night." She wiggled her eyebrows at Max, who blushed. "Plus I'd be lying if I said I didn't want people to know you're all mine, Caulfield."

Max nibbled Chloe's earlobe. "Am I now? She breathed into her ear.

Chloe shivered, knowing Max was deliberately targeting one of her weak spots. "Hella yes you are." She replied.

Their lips met again, softly this time, each of them savouring the sensation, and both women thinking how perfect the moment was.

After a few minutes of lazy making out, Chloe pulled away, an odd glint in her eye. "Hey Max, check the relationship thing again. I wanna see how many likes it has."

Her girlfriend reached over and poked the laptop, bringing it out of its artifical slumber.

"It has... Hang on, the page is loading... 69 likes."

Chloe grinned a particularly vivacious grin. "Convenient."

"Why is that convenie- _ohhhhhh"._

The movie, all but forgotten about, played quietly in the background. Neither girl noticed when the credits rolled.

Ending on a 69 joke. Aww yeah, fricking classy *self fives*. Joking aside, this chapter was particularly fun to write, if only because I got to indulge in utterly fluffy, saccharine, romantic cheese. Mmm, Pricefield flavour.

That's, uh, that's about it, really. Though I am starting to run out of chapters (there's two left after this one), so if anyone has anything they'd like to see, or want to send in a prompt, they're more than welcome. The next chapter will be out in the next couple of days or so. Be sure to look out for it. It's an interesting one, I think, as Max is literally the only character technically in it. See you all next time. Peace out.


	4. Yes, Mom

Hope you guys like this one, it was ... interesting to write.

Usual disclaimer: I wish I owned Life is Strange, but I don't. Mmmm, sweet Pricefield goodness. On with the show!

 **Yes, Mom**

"Hey Mom, I'm good. Yeah, I think we're all beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel here."

"Blackwell's fine, classes haven't started back up yet. There's still a ton of cleaning up left to do after the tornado, so we're all kind of just hanging round the dorms. Though at least we have cell coverage back. Yay no more having to queue for payphones."

"I... Yeah, I was totally going to call you about that. You saw the status, right?"

"Oh my god. Eww. No, we're not 'using protection'."

"No, I'm not gonna get pregnant."

"Mom, did you actually read what the status said?"

"Because I have a girlfriend, Mom. Typically you don't need condoms when both of you have vaginas."

"Mom, you're fourty three, if I'm fine with saying "vagina" you should be too."

"Yeah, that does mean I like girls."

"No, I don't think I'm gay. I haven't wanted to put a label on it. Though I guess if I had to I'd probably say I'm pansexual."

"That's where you're kinda just attracted to the person, and gender doesn't really come into it."

"Yes that does mean I like guys as well. Though obviously I'm not into any of them right now."

"No, Mom, I never had a thing for Warren. He's got a girlfriend now anyway."

"Wait, you thought he was gay? Then why did you think I liked him? That makes like no sense at all."

"Oh, yeah, guess we got sidetracked a little. It's Chloe."

"Yes, it's _that_ Chloe. Yes, my best friend who I grew up with, Chloe."

"Mom, the high pitched squealing kinda hurts my ears."

"It's been about four months now, I think?"

"I... Yeah, I know I didn't tell you guys when you came to see me. We just had a lot of shit going on right then with Joyce's leg and everything, and all the damage the storm caused. I mean, you guys saw how bad it was."

"I know, and at any other time I would've told you. And no, I don't have a swear jar for me to put a dollar in."

"No, I'm not going to buy one."

"Yes, Mom, I'll watch my language."

"Joyce is doing fine, she started physio a couple of weeks ago. Though the doctors think she's gonna have a little trouble moving for the rest of her life, even with the metal pins in place. Honestly I think she's just thankful she got to keep her leg."

"..."

"My relationship with Chloe? It's nice... We both understand each other. And she's hella adorable, even though she doesn't think so."

"What? 'Hella'?"

"It's slang."

"I know I've never said it before. It's probably Chloe's influence rubbing off on me."

"Yeah. We've been through a lot of shi- stuff together."

"I - I can't tell you right now. A lot of it's personal, especially to Chloe. If she ever says it's OK to talk about it with you, I will."

"No, Mom, really. I'm fine. We've got each other, that's all we need right now."

"Yeah, I'd like you guys to see her now, especially as you didn't get to last time. She's changed so much since you last saw her."

"Well, she's kind of a punk now. She even has blue hair."

"I love it, it suits her. And no, I haven't felt the urge to dye mine. I'm awkward enough going to get a haircut, let alone dyeing my hair a different colour, though Chloe keeps trying to persuade me."

"The future? Honestly Mom, I have no idea. We're just taking things as they are right now. We're both still adjusting to going from friends to partners. Like sometimes it'll feel like the most natural thing in the world, and then 5 minutes later we'll run into something neither of us know how to process."

"Yeah, it's been kind of a steep learning curve. Though the one thing I do know is this: we both want to keep going for as long as we can."

"I... Thanks Mom, that means a lot. I'm glad you think I'm doing the right thing. Okay, I gotta go, I'm meeting Chloe in five. Tell Dad I love him, and that he better not put Chloe through any dad-hazing tests. I know what he's like."

"Okay, thanks Mom. I love you too."

So yeah, this chapter. I wanted to write something that had only one character in it, and also just dialogue and no description whatsoever. I also wanted to explore Max's mental state a little through a simple conversation. Hopefully it made sense (you're only getting one side of a conversation, after all) and flowed nicely. As ever, please tell me what you thought, or if you have any suggestions for things you'd like to see in future chapters.

Speaking of future chapters, this is going to be the last one for a few days. I have chapters 6 and 7 already written and an idea for chapter 5, but I haven't written it yet and have no idea how to structure the things I want to happen in it. so that's the reason you probably won't see anything until the middle of next week at the very earliest (depending on Real Life Stuff getting in the way). I'll see all you fine folk next time, peace out.


	5. Meet the Parents

**Uh, so. Yeah. This chapter obviously took a while. I tried to get it out last week, but I've been hella busy at work recently (fun fact: I'm actually typing this *at* work), as well as this chapter running a lot longer than I originally thought it would. I thought it would be around 1500-2000 words. Instead it ended up coming in at over 4000.**

 **I'll stop rambling now, and actually let you guys read the chapter.**

 **The usual disclaimer: still don't own LiS, despite the really nice sandwich I offered to give them for the series. It had crusts cut off and everything.**

 **M** **eet the Parents**

Midway up the immaculate, paved driveway, Max reached out and grabbed Chloe's arm, halting the taller woman in her tracks.

"Wait a minute Chlo. Are you sure you're alright? You barely said anything during the drive over. And considering we drove for three and a half hours, that's a hella long time for Chloe Price to not be talking my ear off. That, to my humble hipster ears, sounds like my usually fearless partner is nervous."

Chloe pulled a shy half-smile and rubbed the back of her neck in a rather sheepish manner. "That obvious, huh?"

Max gave her a _well, yeah_ expression that mostly consisted of judicious use of eyebrows. Chloe giggled and swatted lightly at Max's arm, which she dodged.

Turning serious again, the punk girl glanced away and said "I'm just kinda nervous about meeting your 'rents, I guess." She began to chew on her lower lip, something that didn't go unnoticed by Max.

"I kinda figured it might be that." the shorter woman stated. "And this might be me being dumb, but I can't figure out _why_ you'd be nervous. You've met my parents a shit ton of times when we were kids. Hell, I'm pretty sure my Mom counted you as a second daughter."

Her partner sighed, and leaned back against the Caulfield's chic little hatchback. "I know I have, Max But never like _this._ I've never done this with _anyone's_ parents. You know; being introduced as an Official Girlfriend. I'm just... I'm just worried they're not gonna like me because I'm way different to the Chloe they knew, or think of me differently now that we're a couple instead of just friends, you know?"

Max smiled fondly and reached up to take Chloe's face in her hands, stroking her cheek affectionately. She leaned forward and pecked Chloe on the lips once, twice, three times. "Chloe Elizabeth Price." She said, using her best _I-am-Arcadia-Bay's-very-own-superhero-and-you-will-listen-to-me_ voice. "I literally can't think of a single reason why they'd dislike you now. If anything my Mom will probably obsess over you _because_ you've changed so much. Seriously, she'll be all over your hair and stuff."

She smiled. "And my folks are a pretty accepting bunch, I don't think they care what gender the person I fall for is. All they'll care about is whether we're both happy. Which we are. We are, right?"

Chloe giggled "Of course we are, you big dork." Steadying herself, she drew in and let out a large breath. "Alright, let's do this shit."

"Attagirl." Max responded.

The two women walked up the remainder of the driveway, towards a pleasant, tidy looking semi-detached house, the lights of which looked warm and inviting in the rapidly dying evening light. As they approached, Chloe could have sworn she saw a curtain twitch, almost as if someone was watching them. Her suspicions were confirmed when, before Max could even get her key in the lock, the door was flung open and Max was set upon by an ecstatic Vanessa Caulfield.

"There's my baby girl! Oh sweetie I missed you so much!" She swept her daughter into an enthusiastic hug, holding her in an almost-too-tight embrace.

Max tried in vain to respond, but seeing as her face was smushed into the fabric of her mom's sweater, the only sound she could make was " _Mmmph!"_ and exhibit minor flailing.

Chloe couldn't help but smile at the overwhelming display of Vanessa's affection for her daughter, though a small part of her wished her and her mom had a relationship like that between Max and Vanessa. Fifteen seconds later, and with the hug showing no signs of stopping any time soon, Chloe decided to intervene, if only for the sake of Max's breathing.

"Uh, Mrs C? I think Max might need to breathe now." She said, with mild amusement at the slowly increasing flailing of limbs coming from Max.

"Oh please call me Vanessa, Chloe. I've known you practically your entire _\- oh my god your_ _ **HAIR!"**_ She enthused, breaking away from Max and seeming to almost fly over to Chloe, fussing over her blue bangs before drawing her into a rib crushing hug. Over Vanessa's shoulder, Chloe could see Max smirking, the meaning of which was perfectly clear: _I told you so._

Oblivious to the silent communication between the two youngsters, Vanessa pulled slightly back from the hug, only to grip Chloe by the shoulders and being barraging the punk with questions. "Oh it looks so gorgeous! When did you dye it? Did you get it done at a salon or do it yourself? Does it take much upkeep? What-"

Chloe's eyes caught Max's, with Max correctly assuming her girlfriend's expression meant _Help me!_

"Alright Mom, I think that's maybe enough questions about Chloe's hair." She said, gently placing a hand on her mom's shoulder. "Oh, sorry sweetie. I may have gotten a little excited there." Vanessa said to Chloe. She leaned in again, and, in a conspiratorial stage whisper said "A few drinks might just have been consumed before you two got here."

"Oh great, my mom's drunk." Max drawled sarcastically, causing Vanessa to, for lack of a better word, pout. "I'm not drunk hon, just a little buzzed. It feels like so long since I've seen my baby girl, and I wanted to celebrate. It's not every day your daughter brings a girlfriend home!"

In another stage whisper, directed at Max this time, she said "I can see why you like her, Max. Woof!" She threw a wink at the punk.

Chloe instantly flushed a vibrant red and looked intensely at the ground, and Max let out a mortified "Oh my god, Mom, no!"

Vanessa laughed, "I'm just teasing you both. Now, why don't we all go inside instead of just standing here in the doorway."

As they followed Vanessa into the house, Max mumbled "And I thought my Dad was bad with the hazing rituals." into Chloe's ear. Her girlfriend looked at her, raising a quizzical eyebrow. "Your dad's always seemed super chill though. Why would he have, quote-unquote, "hazing rituals"?"

Max pulled a face. "Well, he always said he'd try and fuck with my first boyfriend as much as possible, and I was never sure if he was joking or not."

Chloe's eyebrow climbed a little higher. "Boyfriend?"

"Oh you know what I mean. I'm pretty sure he's expanded his conditions to include women as well."

Vanessa turned round, eyeing the two of them. "And what are you two whispering about? I hope you're not planning any shenanigans while you're here. I remember all the escapades you used to drag my daughter into, Miss Price."

Chloe grinned. "Don't worry Mrs C- I mean, Vanessa. Best behaviour. Pinky promise." At that, Vanessa smiled warmly as she led them through the hallway and into the living room.

The Caulfield's house was a modestly decorated affair, with elegant, simple wooden furniture strategically placed around the rooms. Two absurdly comfortable looking sofas dominated the living room, each strewn with an assortment of different cushions. An old fashioned wood burning stove occupied one wall, with a cheerily crackling fire burning within. The Caulfields were also obviously cinephiles, as there were three entire shelving units filled to bursting with DVD's and Blu-rays, and a home cinema projector attached to a ceiling mount.

The most noticeable aspect of the Caulfield's home, however, were the photographs, taken by both Max and her parents. They were everywhere, as befitted a family with such a visually minded daughter. Much of the wall space was occupied by photos, taken by both Max and her parents. Picture frames adorned almost every available flat surface as well; there was not a single coffee table, chest of drawers or desk that wasn't occupied by at least one photo frame.

Pride of place, though, went to a large, blown up copy of Max's winning entry to the Everyday Heroes contest, mounted on the wall in such an obvious way that the eye couldn't help but be drawn to it immediately upon entering the room. Max felt herself flush slightly as she walked past it; she still wasn't used to seeing her own work so proudly displayed in such a fashion.

Vanessa led them straight to the kitchen, where Ryan Caulfield was beavering away at the final stages of dinner preparation. Upon seeing Max, he straightened up, a wide smile gracing his face and arms held wide to welcome his daughter. "There's my Super Max! C'mon and give your old man a hug."

"Dad!" Max uttered gleefully. A second later, she'd flung herself into his arms, clasping her own around his neck. "Woah there, cowgirl!" Ryan laughed, having been forced back a couple of steps. "Easy on my back there, you're not exactly the little girl I used to be able to pick up on a dime."

"I think that means he's saying you've put on weight, Maxaroni." A smirking Chloe said. Max simply stuck her tongue out at the punk girl.

"Alright hon, maybe you can get down now. I ain't getting any younger, and I doubt your mother wants to see me fall over and put both of us in the hospital."

Vanessa walked over to her husband, smiling fondly as Max reluctantly released her hold. "He still thinks he's Superman." Vanessa said, a distinct twinkle in her eye.

"Superman and Super Max!" Father and daughter chorused together, causing Vanessa and Chloe to roll their eyes at each other. Ryan strode over and pulled Chloe into a hug, saying "And don't think you're getting away without a welcome either, Miss Price. Loving the hair by the way, it suits you."

"Right?" Vanessa chimed in.

Chloe blushed as she withdrew from Ryan's embrace, hand self consciously going to her coloured bangs once more. "Thanks, Mr C." She said.

"Hey, c'mon now. You're practically family to us, you can call me Ryan."

"Told you." Max said, coming up behind Chloe and wrapping her arms around her waist. She placed a quick kiss on Chloe's cheek, having to stand on her tip-toes to do so. A few seconds later, the couple became aware of a high pitched noise coming, unsurprisingly, from Vanessa.

"Uh, Mom? Wha- what are you doing? What's that noise?" Max ventured. She'd never heard her Mom make a sound like that in her entire eighteen years.

The reply she received was nothing less than ecstatic. "You two are so fricking _**CUTE!"**_

Chloe blushed again and Max grinned, knowing that was the closest Vanessa came to swearing unless she was incredibly, unbelievably, blackout drunk.

"Okay 'Nessie, leave the two of them alone before you embarrass 'em to death." Ryan interjected. "Now, we've got a few minutes before dinner's ready. Max, why don't you and Chloe go and dump your stuff in your room? And don't worry, everything's just as you left it."

"Thanks Dad. So, how would you like to see _my_ secret lair, Miss Price?" Max said to Chloe, throwing a wink her way for good measure.

"I thought you'd never ask." The punk replied. Shouldering their bags, the two of them made for the stairs, the walls of which were covered in yet more photographs. They were almost to the top when they heard Ryan call out "And no hanky-panky before dinner, you two!"

Now it was Max's turn to be mortified. "DAD NO!"

An amused-sounding "Dad yes." Emanated from the kitchen, swiftly followed by a "Just kidding, man you two are easy to mess with."

"Real funny, Dad. Seriously, I'm in hysterics here." Max shot back in her most sarcastic voice.

Downstairs in the kitchen, Ryan chuckled to himself. "I like the two of them together." He said to his wife. "They seem like they're a good match for each other." He continued. Vanessa nodded, "They are." She agreed. "And Max seems a little different around her. Like she's coming out of her shell a little more, or there's less shell for her to come out of."

"It does feel that way, doesn't it?" Ryan put down the spatula he was holding. "But we do need to talk to them, and Chloe in particular about one thing."

"I know." Vanessa responded. "Hopefully it'll just be nothing." She rested her head on his shoulder.

"Chloe Price: _welcome to my lair!"_ Max said. She opened the door with a theatrical flourish, beckoning Chloe inside. "Or, well, it was. Most of my stuff is still at Blackwell." Chloe looked around the actually somewhat sparse room. "Yeah, no kidding." The only signs that Max Caulfield had once lived here were a few photography prints still attached to the walls, some old clothing in the wardrobe, a couple of old plush dolls and a clunky, outdated desktop computer.

Max dropped her bag on the floor and headed straight for the bed. She dropped down onto her knees and shoved her hand under it, rooting around for something. "C'mere you little bastard... I know you're under there." She mumbled to herself.

She felt Chloe plop down on the bed. "What'cha lookin' for? Ooh, ooh is it a secret porn stash? Got anything with cute hipster boys fuckin'?"

"Definitely not. Besides, I've never had a secret porn stash. And I was looking for... Get here you fucker... This!"

She emerged triumphant from under the bed, holding a metal lock-box. She opened it hastily and brought out a battered scrapbook that looked full to bursting. She proffered it to Chloe. "Go on, open it up."

Curious, Chloe took the book from Max and flipped it open. "The Adventures of the Dread Pirates Merciless Max & Cataclysm Chloe... Holy shit, Max, you kept this?" She began to leaf through the book, poring over the abundance of hand-drawn treasure maps, depictions of her and Max on their own pirate ship, copious notes on their pirate backstories and of course; dozens of photos.

One in particular caught Chloe's eye. It was her and Max, around eleven years old, with cheeks smushed up against each other trying to fit into the frame. They were both brandishing dollar store cutlasses, eye-patches and plastic pirate hats, and looked like they didn't have a care in the world, grinning with abandon into the camera.

"Wowser, Max. I didn't know you kept this all these years." She looked at the photo again, and giggled. "Holy shit we were such a massive pair of dorks." She felt Max wrap her arms around her waist again, and Max's chin rest on her shoulder. "Yeah, we were … You stayed the same though."

Chloe gasped and turned to face a grinning Max. "Oh, are you saying you're not a dork? 'Cos honey, You're the biggest dork I've ever met."

"I might be. You love me for it though." Max responded, lowering her eyelids at Chloe.

"Hella yes I do."

They reached for each other at the same time, bringing their lips together in a heated kiss. Max immediately brought her hand up to the back of Chloe's head, tugging her beanie off and tangling her hand in her hair. She felt Chloe's hand snake around to her lower back, dipping under the hem of her shirt and caressing the skin she found there. Chloe's fingers ghosted over the two dimples in Max's lower back, causing Max to twitch a little and moan into the kiss.

Chloe smiled. She knew that Max was particularly sensitive in those spots, and it was a favourite thing of hers to mess with them. What she wasn't prepared for was Max's response; grabbing a fistful of blue hair, she yanked Chloe's head back, exposing her neck. Max attacked the bare skin there, lavishing Chloe's flesh with kissing and licking. She nipped at Chloe's pulse point, not hard enough to leave a mark, but enough to cause her lover's breath to hitch.

She felt Max apply pressure to her back with the hand that wasn't tangled in her hair, and suddenly she found herself on top of Max, straddling her as the shorter woman pulled them down into a horizontal position. Max's hands wandered down over her back, scratching pleasantly occasionally as they travelled downwards. She paused briefly to give Chloe's ass a quick squeeze, before letting her hands slide around to her stomach, and up and under Chloe's tank top. The second she felt Max's fingers brush against her stomach, her skin erupted into goosebumps and a shuddering gasp made its way out of her throat. "Max…" She whispered, and their lips met once again.

Max's fingers began to ascend, moving torturously slow in Chloe's opinion. Every centimetre added to the molten pool forming in her core, and every caress and scratch had her consistently moaning into Max's mouth. As her girlfriend's fingers continued their journey upward, Chloe found her hips moving almost of their own accord, grinding up against Max and desperate for any kind of friction. Suddenly, Max's hands met the bottom of her bra, and all Chloe wanted was for Max to touch her more. Those tantalising fingers had only just begun to venture underneath the bra, barely grazing against the underside of her breast when –

"Hey Max! Chloe! Dinner's up!"

Ryan's voice coming from downstairs shattered the spell, and brought the two of them crashing back to earth. They broke apart, both women breathing heavily. Chloe grinned. "Your 'rents sure know how to pick their moments, huh?"

Max grinned back. "Yup. They've never, um, interrupted me with another person before. Though before I moved out, hella too many instances of clitorference."

Chloe snorted. "Wait, so you'd be right in the middle of giving yourself a one-handed salute and then-"

"Beaver dammed, yup." Max finished for her.

"We so have to fix that later." Chloe said, grinning mischievously. "Though, ah, we should probably head downstairs before they get _too_ suspicious."

Not even a minute later, Max's parents heard the sound of feet thundering down the stairs as Max and Chloe descended. Vanessa caught her husband's eye, "Now that sound brings back memories." She said. Ryan chuckled as he set the last few pieces of cutlery on the table. "It does. Though I remember the thudding footsteps being _quieter_ back then."

Vanessa kissed him on the cheek. "They've grown up." She simply stated.

"Oh I don't know about that." Stated Chloe as her and Max entered the dining room, hands clasped together. "I think Max missed out on the actual growing bit. She's still hella short."

Max punched her in the arm, making Chloe wince. "Hey, at least I matured. You haven't changed since we were kids; you still have all the subtlety of a wrecking ball covered in fireworks."

Chloe's attempt at a comeback failed miserably. "I – well… you… shut up."

"Alright, I think that Max wins this round." Ryan intervened. "Chloe, I think you're gonna need to dial 911 for that burn, as you kids say nowadays."

Max buried her hands in her face. "Oh my god, Dad. Just- just stop going on the Internet."

Ryan laughed and ruffled his daughter's hair. "And give up my supply of Dad Jokes? No chance. As a dad, it's my time honoured, sacred duty to embarrass you all _to the Max."_

A collective groan travelled round the table. Ryan just smiled gleefully.

"And with that, I present tonight's dinner. It might not be Two Whales standard." He threw a wink at Chloe. "But neither am I a slouch in the kitchen. Voila!"

He produced four plates laden with homemade beef burgers, generously covered with fried onions, mushrooms, salad and cheese, accompanied by crispy sweet potato fries and a small mountain of coleslaw.

Chloe's mouth immediately began watering, and her stomach made a very audible rumbling sound.

"Well, that's as clear a signal as any. Dig in, folks." Ryan said. The next few minutes were bereft of conversation, the only sounds being the sounds of vigorous eating, the clinking of cutlery, and the occasional quiet slurp as someone took a drink. Chloe was the first to say something. She looked up from the gigantic bite she'd just taken and caught Ryan's eye. "This is seriously hella good." She forced out through the food in her mouth. "Like, Two Whales good. I'm not even kidding."

Ryan sat back in his chair and spread his arms wide. "That's all I needed. I can now die a happy man, knowing I've matched Arcadia Bay's finest."

"Maybe dial down the sarcasm, sweetie." Vanessa said, though her eyebrow was raised in amusement. Ryan shrugged and went back to eating his burger.

Vanessa laid her fork down. "Now, Chloe." She said. "There is actually a reason we wanted to meet you tonight, now that you and Max are, well, a couple."

That got Chloe's attention. She looked up, puzzlement evident in her face. "How do I put this?" Vanessa continued. "We've been talking with your mom quite a lot over the past couple of weeks, as we thought it would be good to reconnect with her now that you two are dating. And, well, she has told us about a few issues you've had over the last few years."

Chloe was silent, staring straight ahead at Vanessa, who cleared her throat in a slightly awkward fashion and continued. "Don't worry, she didn't say anything hugely specific. Just that since William passed on, you've, um, had some depressive periods and such. Joyce mentioned some substance abuse, as well as a couple of minor misdemeanours. So, naturally, we had a couple of concerns." Vanessa reached out and, when Chloe didn't draw away, gently took her hand.

"Please realise that we're definitely not saying you shouldn't be with our daughter, we'd never dream of interfering like that. We just want to make sure the relationship you two have is healthy and happy, and that both of you can say anything to do with everything to us. You understand?"

And Chloe did. Old Chloe would have flipped her shit and screamed about invasions of privacy, and how dare they ask about anything like that. New Chloe wasn't like that. New Chloe simply nodded and took a breath.

"I get where you're coming from, for sure. And honestly, a few months ago _I_ wouldn't have trusted me to be with Max without doing something stupid or getting her into trouble, or worse. But I completely mean when I say I've changed. Max has changed me. She saved my life, and I'm being totally serious about that: she actually, physically saved my life. More than once. Your daughter's a hero, a literal Super Max, and I'm so incredibly hella lucky to love and be loved by her in return."

She finished speaking and looked down, slightly embarrassed to have spoken so much about herself. A few seconds later, Chloe felt a hand lift her chin, and suddenly Max's lips were on her own, claiming them in a short but heartfelt kiss.

Max's parents shared a look with one another, each now certain they had absolutely nothing to worry about with the young couple. "Alright." Ryan broke the short silence. "I reckon that's enough mushy shit for now-"

"That's a dollar for the swear jar." Interrupted Vanessa.

"Sorry 'Nessie. Enough mushy _stuff_ for now. Now, Chloe, I believe you were saying how good the burgers were."

"Don't encourage him. He's just looking for an ego boost now." Vanessa laced her fingers together in a cradle and placed her chin them.

"Oh I was all out of compliments already. He ain't getting no more from me." Chloe said with a victorious grin.

"The young maiden doth wound me so gravely." Ryan said, play acting a mortal wound gushing from his chest. "And now that I've been taking down a peg or two, anyone for extra fries?"

"Hella yes!" Chorused the young couple. They looked at one another, grinning vivaciously.

Some hours later, an entirely full and very sleepy Max lay in her old bed, being spooned by her equally full partner. "Oh man." Chloe was saying into her ear. "It's a good thing were staying tonight. I don't think I can even move after all that."

"Mhm." Max mumbled, half asleep already. She wasn't really taking in words at that moment, no, she was more preoccupied by just how nice it felt to have Chloe wrapped around her. Her shirt had been rucked up by the blue-nette, exposing the bottom two thirds of her torso. Chloe's hand was now tracing lazy circles over the warm skin of Max's stomach, letting a nail dig in slightly at regular intervals, to create a pleasant scratching sensation.

A few contented minutes passed, with Max occasionally sighing pleasurably and arching into the contact. She stirred a little, and reached back until her hand met Chloe's cheek, which she stroked.

"What you said at dinner was beautiful." She whispered. "Did you mean it?"

Chloe nuzzled her ear, her breath tickling Max slightly. "Of course I did." She breathed. "You did save my life, and I do hella love you."

"Yay." Max mumbled, tumbling ever closer to sleep. "Love you too, you big blue dork." Chloe reacted by biting her ear, causing Max to let out a squeak and squirm in Chloe's grasp.

Minutes later, both women were sleeping soundly, hands clasped together, and contented smiles on their faces.

 **That was a long one, wasn't it? But honestly, it was a ton of fun to write, especially as I got to write Ryan Caulfield as a lover of terrible dad jokes. The makeout scene was also pretty fun to write, so there's definitely gonna be more of those in the pipeline.**

 **I also have to thank GrumpyCat42 for the wrecking ball covered in fireworks line. It was just too good not to use. *gives enthusiastic thumbs up***

 **I'm also super bummed I didn't post anything on the 11th of March, as I completely forgot it was Chloe's birthday, and was only reminded by an explosion of fan art on tumblr. So yeah, I suck.**

 **Anyway, as ever, leave feedback if you did or didn't enjoy this chapter. The next one is already written, so should be up by the middle of next week. I'll see all you super awesome people in a few days. Peace out.**


	6. Going Ape

**Oh hey look, I'm actually managing to stick to a weekly update schedule. Ish. It's intentional, honest. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, though it is kinda drama heavy.**

 **Disclaimer: This time I offered them an entire pizza for the series. They still didn't bite (heh, geddit?). I mean, who doesn't go for pizza? It even had stuffed crust.**

 **Going Ape**

The argument had begun two hours ago, although it felt a lot longer than that, and the two women had been going round in circles for almost the entire two hours. They were stuck on one particular point, a point neither of them were willing to give any ground on.

"Chloe, seriously, you're being ridiculous." Max said, her voiced laced with a now deep-seated exasperation.

Chloe wheeled around, eyes wild with anger and her arms held out in what denizens of the Internet would call a " _Come at me, bro_ " pose. "Oh _I'm_ being ridiculous?" She spat back incredulously.

"Yeah. You are." Max replied, her arms tightly crossed and her body language openly defiant, as she tried to stare down her now approaching-furious girlfriend.

"Nah, fuck that." She shot back. "What's ridiculous is you going on a fucking movie date with Captain Friendzone."

Max's face contorted into a grimace, and she found herself holding her head in her hands. "How many times do I have to tell you it's not a goddamn date, Chloe? It's literally just going to see a couple _Planet of the Apes_ movies with someone I count as a friend, nothing more. I don't know if you noticed this, but it is possible to be friends with a guy without fucking them, you know."

Chloe arched an eyebrow. "And how do you know he's not gonna try and stick his hand in your panties the second the movie starts?"

Max sighed. "Oh for- Chloe, he's dating Brooke, remember? They're not exactly subtle about it either. Practically every time I see them she has her tongue down his throat."

She met Chloe's eyes, only to be greeted by a fierce glare. "So fucking what? People cheat all the time. And besides, you knew he had a thing for you when he asked you, so why are you going now?"

"Because last time I was still working out my feelings for you, you idiot! If I'd known I'd end up dating you I probably would've turned him down!"

Chloe laughed derisively. "Yeah, and if you had said no he probably would've been pushy and acted like an entitled little shit about it."

"Well, we don't know that, and I'm not exactly gonna go rewind and find out."

Chloe scoffed "So you're defending him now?"

"Chloe, he's not gonna try anything. I promise."

Her girlfriend sat down heavily on the bed. Silence descended between the two. A long, painful, awkward silence. Finally, just as Max was considering simply walking out, Chloe sighed and, with slightly shaking hands, lit a cigarette.

"How do you know that, Max? People say stuff, and make promises, and tell you a load of bullshit they don't really mean, and then they either just up and leave without warning or-or stab you in the back."

She felt soft, warm hands enclose her own, and looked up to find Max's eyes staring into hers. They weren't angry, no, they were full of sadness, and something Chloe could only describe as pity.

"Chlo..." She began. "Are you sure we're still talking about Warren?"

Chloe drew a deep breath in, held it, and let it out. "Maybe, maybe not … I don't know anymore."

She felt Max stroke her hand. "You been thinking about her?"

"...Yeah."

"Do you know why?"

Chloe took a deep, long drag on her cigarette. "I don't know, Max. Sometimes she just gets in my head and she just – she just won't leave."

"Don't worry Chlo, you're getting there. It'll take time, but eventually, you'll be able to let go of her. And I'll be there every step of the way. With you, OK?"

Chloe nodded, unable to reply. Max kissed her forehead. "I'm not gonna say you shouldn't be feeling any left over resentment or anger towards her, because you're right; she didn't tell you everything, and you have a right to feel angry about that. But you can't let it bleed over into everyone else's relationships, including ours. OK, Chlo?"

Her girlfriend nodded, and let out a sigh she didn't know she'd been holding. "I guess that makes sense." She sighed. "Sorry I blew up at you."

Max smiled at her partner in crime. "It's OK. We'll work on it together." She checked her phone, noting the time. "Alright, I do actually need to go meet him now, if that's not gonna freak you out?"

Chloe shook her head, drawing again on her cigarette.

Max gave her another kiss on the forehead. "Alright, keep texting me, OK? And hey, if Warren does try anything, _which he won't,_ you have permission to punch him in whatever body part you so desire."

At that, Chloe's eyes lit up.

"Alright, maybe not _that_ part. I'm pretty sure Brooke needs it."

The blue haired woman made a face. "Eww. Awkward, pale, Warren-and-Brooke sex. Thanks for the horrifying mental image, Maxipad."

"I do my best. I'll see you later on, and I'll keep you updated on where I am." She pulled on her battered converse and faded grey hoodie, before pulling Chloe in for a long, lingering kiss. "It'll be fine, I promise. I love you, you big dork."

Chloe chuckled. "That's my line, and I love you too."

Her partner flashed her a smile and made for the door. She was almost through it when Chloe called out again.

"And hey, tell Warren he's a damn dirty ape!"

Max grinned, and Chloe could have fallen for her all over again. "Easy there, Charlton Heston." She shot back, and slipped through the door, closing it with a soft click.

Chloe lay back on the bed, lighting another cigarette as she did so. She touched her lips, a small tingling sensation lingered from Max's kiss. _Yeah,_ she thought, _it'll be fine. Max is mine, and no one's gonna take her away from me._

Safe in that knowledge, she relaxed, and watched the smoke she was exhaling curl itself into intricate patterns, seeming to hang there, frozen in time, and lit by the setting sun.

 **I'm not entirely sure this chapter is all that good, to be honest. I wanted to try my hand at a bit of actual drama and have Max and Chloe have an argument, as all I tend to write is fluff (not that fluff isn't fun to write, but what's the point of writing if you don't challenge yourself occasionally?). Please, please, please let me know what you thought of this chapter, as I probably need a couple of drama pointers. Geez this thing was difficult to write in places.**

 **Anyway, about next week's chapter: I have options for you. Would you A) want to have the really dumb but funny chapter I'm writing right now (it has a lot of hipster jokes) or B) prefer to read about our favourite couple Doing A Thing (hint: the Thing involves a certain road trip oft discussed in the game). I leave it up to you, so please say what you'd want to see. If there's no response, I'll just flip a coin or something. Peace out.**


	7. I'mma Take Your Grandpa's Style

**I** **just wanna start by saying THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH.** **This is now my most viewed story on here** _ **ever.**_ **I** **know that this story is tiny compared to a lot of other things out there, but simply knowing I have a small audience feels awesome, and you guys rock for reading my silly little addition to the LiS fandom. Much love 3. Anyway, this one's dedicated to all you music lovers out there, as well as the poor, long suffering thrift shop workers.**

 **Disclaimers: I've resorted to standing outside the DONTNOD office, blasting Peter Gabriel's In Your Eyes from a boombox, John Cusack style. So far, I've gotten zip from them.**

 **I'mma Take Your Grandpa's Style**

Midway through browsing the shelves in her favourite record store, while searching for anything decent on vinyl, Max's phone buzzed. She dug it out of her pocket and unlocked it, to find she had a text from Chloe. The text consisted of two words: "Behind you."

She turned round, and before she could register even a small exclamation of surprise, she was met by a flying attack hug from the one and only Chloe Price. Chloe laid a large kiss on Max's cheek, complete with exaggerated lip smacking and a cheesy grin.

"Wowser. Someone's happy to see me." Max said, returning Chloe's hug. "No shit, Sherlock." Her girlfriend said. "I'm always happy to see you. Plus I've had like six cups of coffee so I'm super hella buzzed right now."

"Oh god. Why did you do that? More importantly, why are you ambushing me in record stores like some kind of crazy punk stalker?"

Chloe grinned. "'Cos that's exactly what I am. I know exactly where you are _at all times_." She pressed another kiss to Max's cheek. "Nah, I'm just kidding. I needed some smokes and I just happened to see your hipster ass in here on the way."

"So you decided to come jump on me. Literally."

"Yup." Chloe grinned even wider.

Max took her hand. "Well, I'm pretty much done here, there's nothing decent I wanna buy." She said, earning a discrete glare from the incredibly pretentious looking cashier. "I'm gonna hit up the thrift shop next if you wanna be my date."

"Ooh, a date? With Super Max? Sign me up!" The two of them walked out of the store, with Chloe theatrically linking her arm with Max. "So. This date. Will there be furtive glances? Hand holding?" She leaned in to whisper into Max's ear. "Inappropriate public makeouts?"

"Maybe. If you behave." Max turned, and, taking advantage of Chloe's close proximity, nibbled her earlobe. "Play your cards right, and you'll get much more than makeouts later." She breathed into Chloe's ear, making sure her breath hit the most sensitive spot. She was rewarded with Chloe's grip on her arm tightening slightly.

"Mmm, you definitely know how to get a girl going." Chloe replied. Max gave her a flirtatious smile. "I learned from the best." She surreptitiously slipped her hand up and under Chloe's tank top, and raked her nails down her back, from just under her bra strap to the waistband of her jeans.

Chloe jumped, having been completely unprepared. "Now I'm thinking I taught you way too well. If I was a dude I'd definitely be sporting a semi right now."

Max made a face. "It's all about the dick jokes with you, isn't it?"

"Of course. Dicks are funny."

They rounded the corner, heading straight towards Arcadia Bay's biggest and best thrift shop: Sir Thriftalot's, mostly frequented by Arcadia Bay's resident hipster population.

The building itself was wide and low, and otherwise unremarkable except for the large, colourful cartoon rendition of a knight clad in obviously thrifty clothes instead of armour, and sporting a wide, cheesy grin. Said knight was also ten feet tall and mounted on a faux-ornate plaque.

Unfortunately someone had, evidently recently, spray painted a rather large penis onto the plaque. Max rolled her eyes at it. "Keep it classy, Arcadia." She said as they passed under Sir Thrifty and into the building itself.

Max headed straight for the plaid shirt section, she had become quite taken with Rachel Amber's old shirt, and since she didn't want to keep borrowing it, she had elected to buy some of her own. Chloe seemed to be happy to just browse randomly, so she left her to do just that.

After a few minutes browsing, Max had found a couple of shirts she liked enough to try on: a grey and white long sleeved item, and a blue and black shirt with a hood attached. She wandered over to the fitting rooms with them, glancing absent mindedly at a pair of washed out jeans on the way.

She spotted a free cubicle, and made straight for it, dragging the heavy curtain closed as she entered it. Hanging the two shirts up, she put her bag down and stripped off her favourite grey hoodie and ever-present Jane Doe tee, leaving her in a plain white bra. She shivered a little, noticing the AC was on, even though February wasn't yet over.

"Geez, would it kill them to turn the heating on?" She mumbled to herself, reaching for the blue hooded shirt and shrugging it onto her shoulders. "I'm already getting goosebumps from this shit."

"Well allow me to warm you up." Came a voice, and Max turned round to find Chloe had snuck through the curtain, a mischievous grin on her face "Ooh, plaid. Nice."

"Chloe, what-" Was all she managed to get out before she was pinned up against the wall by the punk, and her lips were claimed in an aggressive kiss. Her hands dropped from the button she had been attempting to fasten and gripped Chloe, resting low on her hips and pulling the taller woman towards her. Chloe responded by wedging her thigh in between Max's legs and pressing herself up against her.

The kiss continued, with both of them battling for dominance. Chloe secured victory when she simultaneously bit Max's lower lip, and dragged a single nail directly down Max's exposed stomach, drawing a muffled squeak from her. Chloe's lip curled in a victorious half smile, half smirk. She broke the kiss and dipped her head, lips latching hungrily onto Max's neck. She began to kiss down the smooth flesh, pausing briefly to run her tongue over her pulse point, which she was pleased to find was beating fast and hard.

Max's breathing followed suit, becoming shorter and sharper as Chloe's lips and tongue continued their journey downwards. Her lips ghosted over the now flushed skin of her breasts, though she deliberately refrained from dipping under Max's bra, knowing the lack of contact to her most sensitive areas would tease all the more. She was rewarded when Max let her head tip back and a sigh escape her throat. That sigh almost became a gasp, one she barely caught, when Chloe bit her again, swirling her tongue over the flesh she'd captured between her teeth.

When she was certain a mark had formed, Chloe released the contact with a wet _pop_ , and threw her girlfriend an expression that Max had affectionately named her _fuck me_ face. Max was biting her lower lip at this point, and when Chloe began licking and nibbling her way along the bottom of her rib-cage, she was forced to clamp a hand over her own mouth to prevent herself from moaning outright.

She felt Chloe run her tongue in a long line almost entirely down her stomach, past her navel, and finally pause at her abdomen. A hand cupped her ass and gave it a firm squeeze, while the other hooked itself itself in to the waistband of her jeans, and suddenly the tongue was back and making its way under the hem of her underwear, which just happened to be girl boxers that day.

"Chloe … please … I need..." She half breathed, half whispered. A pool of white hot desire had formed in her core, and Max found herself rubbing her thighs together, desperate for any kind of contact that would alleviate her exquisite torture. This torture was made all the worse when Chloe's tongue dipped even further, to brush against the top of the fine patch of hair that Chloe seemed to love spending so much time in.

Suddenly, Chloe was back at her mouth, and once more pinning her to the wall. "You need … what?" She breathed into Max's mouth, and ran her tongue along the brunette's lips. "I need you." Came the pleading reply. Chloe savoured the moment, knowing she had Max completely and utterly under her control. "And you can have me..." She whispered, and moved her hand to cup Max through her jeans. Max inhaled sharply, her hips automatically bucking into Chloe's grasp … which promptly disappeared. "... Later." Finished off Chloe, with a wicked grin, and before Max knew it, she'd vanished out of the fitting room cubicle, leaving Max trembling and breathing heavily.

 _I should have known._ A voice in her head said. Chloe was fond of teasing her in public, often when she knew Max wouldn't be able to retaliate until they were alone and in private. Today was, obviously, no exception. A thought flitted its way across Max's mind, of what she knew would now inevitably happen later that day, and she felt a renewed spark of desire tear its way through her. Forcefully bringing her mind back to the present, Max changed back into her old clothes, eager to be done with her errands and get Chloe back to her room.

When she emerged from the cubicle, though, Chloe was nowhere to be found. Max scanned the store, her brows knitted together in confusion. And then, she remembered the six cups of coffee her partner had had that day. "Oh fuck." She whispered, knowing that Chloe Price, hopped on more caffeine than was likely medically healthy and loose in a store that was bound to have some items on the more _eccentric_ end of the scale, was _definitely_ not a good thing. She hastened through the aisles, sweeping each one she passed for signs of her blue-haired problem. She was about to give up when she heard a distinct giggle coming from an almost entirely blocked off aisle. She entered it, and there, at the end of the aisle with her back turned, and wearing the biggest, fluffiest fur-rimmed pimp coat she had ever seen, was Chloe Price.

"Chloe, the hell are you doi-" She managed to say, before Chloe spun round dramatically, the coat swishing almost, it seemed, in slow motion. As well as the pimp coat, she'd also found a quite frankly hideous pair of 1970's horn rimmed sunglasses, a paisley waistcoat that belonged in the very depths of Hell itself, some zebra printed Wellington boots and an exceedingly battered-looking boater hat, which was perched at a rakish angle on her head.

" _Oh no._ " Max whispered, certain she knew what was going to come next. She was, unfortunately, entirely correct.

Chloe simply grinned, and began.

"WALK UP TO THE CLUB LIKE, "WHAT UP, I GOT A BIG COCK.""

"CHLOE NO."

"I'M SO PUMPED UP 'BOUT SOME SHIT FROM THE THRIFT SHOP."

"NO NO NO."

"ICE ON THE FRINGE, IT'S SO DAMN FROSTY."

" _CHLOE I SWEAR TO GOD_."

"THE PEOPLE LIKE, "DAMN, THAT'S A COLD-ASS HONKEY.""

Powerless to stop her, Max could only cringe and wish the floor would devour her whole, while Chloe enthusiastically rapped her way through Macklemore's 2012 hit _Thrift Shop._

Chloe's joy and Max's horror, however, were cut short by the sudden appearance of a heavily bearded store attendant, clad entirely in plaid. "What the hell's going on here- oh it's _you._ " He said, noticing the presence of Chloe Price.

"Dude, I'm so sorry." Max began to apologise.

"Whatever." The attendant cut her off. "If you two don't cut this shit out, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave. Especially _her."_ He said, pointing at the guilty woman in question.

Chloe held her arms out in mock protest.

"Have you no shame?" The store attendant continued. "That song's effing awful and an insult to thrift shops everywhere."

Chloe shrugged and Max looked at the floor, wishing she was anywhere else. "Freaking hipsters..." The guy muttered, stalking off back to wherever he'd appeared from.

Chloe sidled up to Max, who's head was buried in her hands. "Wow. Pot, kettle, much? Right?" She said, removing her ridiculous outfit. "That guy was like the biggest hipster I've ever seen."

"I can't go anywhere with you, can I?" Max lamented.

"Nuh-uh, totes not true. We went to your 'rents place, didn't we?"

Max shot her a look. "That was rhetorical."

When all she received in reply was a wink, Max rolled her eyes and left the aisle, heading towards the check out to pay for her shirts. When her cashier turned out to be the surly attendant, she avoided eye contact as much as possible, knowing he was glowering at her throughout the entire transaction.

He had just finished bagging her shirts when Max heard the sound of rapid footsteps slapping against the linoleum floor. She froze, knowing that, once again, the worst was about to happen.

"I'LL TAKE THOSE FLANNEL ZEBRA JAMMIES, SECOND HAND, I ROCK THAT MOTHERFUCKER!"

Max could've sworn the attendant's eyes bugged entirely out of his head. "OUT!" He bellowed.

Max didn't need to be told twice. She grabbed her bag and fled, following a hysterically laughing Chloe out of the door. They didn't stop running for almost two minutes, Max fearful of the wrath of the thrift shop and Chloe giggling the entire way, until lack of breath forced them both to fetch up against a wall.

"You. Are. Such. An asshole." Max forced out between large pants. "I know." Chloe grinned. "But it was totes worth it. I've been wanting to do that for ages now. Just never had an excuse."

Max raised an eyebrow in the most sardonic of fashions. "So your excuse was drinking a shit ton of coffee and hijacking your long-suffering girlfriend's attempts to buy herself some new clothes?"

Chloe nodded vigorously, beaming at Max, who rolled her eyes again. She couldn't stay mad at Chloe even if she wanted to, her joy from terrorizing one of Arcadia Bay's premier hipster hang-outs was simply too infectious.

"Alright, I guess it was kinda funny. I think that dude was about to burst a blood vessel."

Her girlfriend giggled. "Right?"

The two of them linked arms again and headed for the waterfront. "So." Max ventured. "I guess we're still technically on a date right now. What next?"

Chloe pursed her lips and tapped them with a finger, making an exaggerated show of pondering the question. After a few seconds she turned to her partner-in-crime. "Wanna get coffee?" She said brightly.

"Hell no."

They laughed, kissed, and continued on their way, hands firmly laced together and, just for that moment, without a care in the world.

 **Not gonna lie, I had a blast writing this chapter. For cereal, it was so much fun. Sometimes the best chapters are the ones that are nothing but fanservice and dumb as hell comedy. I really hope you guys had as much fun reading it as I did writing it.**

 **You also may have noticed this is the second chapter this week, the reason for that(aside from me working nights and having time to bang this out hella quickly) is that I'm heading to Thailand for a couple of weeks, for a much needed holidays. That, unfortunately, is highly likely to mean no to little updates for the next fortnight. Don't worry, I still have one more chapter left in my buffer, so I'll try and have that uploaded while I'm there.**

 **One more thing to say, and then I'm done, I swear. To those who were expecting hella tons of puns in this chapter: sorry, but I had to take most of them out. They felt kinda forced and were dragging down the story, which I felt was better served by using more situational comedy. I shall endeavour to include many puns in future chapters to make up for taking them out here.**

 **As ever, please leave feedback if you enjoyed it or not, I really do value it so much, and I'll see you all next time. Peace out.**


	8. Doctor Feelgood

**Author's Note:** I'M BACK! Sorry about the long wait between chapters, as I mentioned in the last chapter, I was in Thailand for a couple of weeks, and then when I got back, well, let's just say my work went hella sideways for a bit. Anyway, I have another chapter for you, if that wasn't obvious already. It's kind of a low key chapter, but I enjoyed writing it anyway.

DISCLAIMER: I have now found where DONTNOD's director lives. Efforts to engage him have been... frustrating. I may have employ "persuasion" methods in order to own the series.

 **Doctor Feelgood**

Max entered her dorm room and dropped her bag, not caring that it thudded heavily on the floor. She shut the door with a swift snap, resting against it when it was fully closed. She covered her face with her hands and let out the aggravated sigh that had been collecting within her for a good few hours.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuurgghh."

Max slid down the door until she was seated on the floor with her back resting against the imitation lacquered wood. She brought her knees up to her chest and let her head fall back until it hit the door with a soft thud. There, she rested for a few blissful seconds of peace and quiet until, naturally, it was shattered well before its time, in Max's opinion.

"So. Bad day?" Said a voice.

Max almost jumped out of her skin at the unexpected voice, which of course belonged to Chloe Price. She whipped her head to the right, and saw her partner casually reclining on her bed, absently mindedly examining her blue nail polish.

"Chloe?! How the-"

"-Hella fuck did I get in?" Chloe finished. "Right through the window." She nodded towards the obviously open window. "Campus security ain't what it used to be, especially with my step-dad more occupied with the reconstruction and stuff than stalking college girls." She patted the empty spot next to her on the bed. "Wanna join me?"

Although she was tired almost beyond belief, Max managed a smile. "Always."

She clambered onto the bed and nestled into Chloe's waiting embrace. She felt a hand come to rest on the top of her head and lazily begin to stroke her hair, with the occasional pleasant scratch thrown in. A few quiet minutes passed like this, with Chloe scrolling through various feeds on her phone with one hand and playing with Max's hair with the other.

Max herself was content to lie curled up in the crook of Chloe's arm, with her eyes closed and happy to simply enjoy the comforting presence of her partner.  
Chloe's presence was so comforting in fact, that Max had almost fallen asleep when Chloe put her phone away and lay down next to her, looping her other arm around Max's waist as she did so.

She stirred when she felt Chloe's nimble fingers creep under the hem of her shirt and trail along the skin just north of the waistband of her jeans, an obvious sign of affection that never failed to draw at least a small response from her.

"So." Chloe began nonchalantly. "What kind of bad day was it? Like, " _ _I can't believe I have three periods left and all I wanna do is curl up in a ball",__ or; _"_ _ _I would gladly murder every single person in here with a straw?"__ "

Max frowned, memories of her clusterfuck of a day tumbling through her mind. "More like _"_ _ _You fuckers have given me a migraine so right now I'm trying to set all of you on fire with my mind but it isn't working so I'm just gonna glare at you."__ "

Chloe hiked an eyebrow. "Wait, you actually glared at people? That's bad, right?"

Max bit her lip. "A little bit, I guess."

Chloe snuck in a small kiss just below her earlobe. "Wanna talk about it?" She said.

Max rolled onto her back and stared straight up at the ceiling. "I guess. I mean, it wasn't just one thing, it was a few little things that combined to form the fucking Voltron of annoying stuff."

"The "Voltron of annoying stuff"? You've been hanging around Warren too much."

Max's scowl deepened. "Ugh. Don't mention him. He's part of it."

The eyebrow ascended another centimetre. "You're pissed at Warren? What did he do? Do I have to punch him in the bathing suit area?" Chloe said.

The brunette shook her head. "No, nothing that bad. He was just a bit of an ass in science today. He got all high and mighty and stuff just because I forgot about some stupid chemical reaction that doesn't even matter."

"Well, you know him. Forgetting a science thing is probably like drawing a dick in a bible or something." Chloe said, grinning at her own simile.

Max killed that grin with a look. "I'm not done yet. Well, I'm done with him, but not with all the other shit from today. Like Victoria was a total bitch for no reason. She heavily implied you only like me because, according to her, you're secretly more into dudes because I'm apparently flat-chested enough to look like one."

Chloe's expression darkened. "Well, that's a shitty thing to say. Sounds like she was in full Bitchtoria mode."

She laced her fingers with Max's. "Though (and I can't believe I'm saying this and not going over to her room right now to kick her ass), you should just ignore her. Literally none of what she said is true."

"Besides." She said, running a hand up and over Max's shirt until it rested on her chest. "You know I love the girls here. And it wouldn't even matter if you did look like a dude. I'd still be into you, because you're you. Hell, you could literally have a massive cock and I'd still love you."

Max burst out laughing. "That's kinda weird, but I appreciate the sentiment." She looked down at her crotch, considering. "So what you're really saying is… I should get us a strap-on."

Chloe wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Well I'm not saying no." She flirted.

Max threw a wink her way, before failing to stifle a yawn. She began to stretch, but recoiled when a sharp pain tore itself through the muscles just under her left shoulder blade. "Ow! Motherfucking son of a fuck. That hurt." She complained bitterly.

"Oh shit, you okay, Max?" Chloe's voice was filled with nothing but concern for her partner.

Max grimaced. "Yeah. That was the final thing from today. Some stupid skater kid bailed right when I was walking by. I literally had to dive out of the way, and I'm pretty sure I pulled something that wasn't meant to be pulled."

Chloe sat up, supporting herself on her hands. "So you have a migraine, Warren was unknowingly a dick to you about science shit, Victoria insulted you and you've pulled a muscle because kids can't skate for shit."

It was a statement more than a question, but Max replied anyway. "Yeah, that about sums it up."

Chloe's expression grew determined. She shifted on the bed until she was sat cross-legged against the wall by the head. "Alright, c'mere. I'm gonna make you feel better." She patted her lap.

Max managed a small smile. "I'm flattered, Chlo, but I'm not really in the mood right now."

The punk girl rolled her eyes. "I didn't mean like that, gutter brain. I'm gonna give you a head rub and, lucky you, one of my world-famous back massages." She flexed her long fingers. "Oh shut up." She said at the incredulous look Max was giving her. She placed Max's pillow on her lap and patted it, beckoning her girlfriend to come and lie down once more.

Max did, shifting herself over so that her head lay on the pillow, looking up at Chloe.

"Close your eyes." Chloe commanded.

"Aye aye, captain."

Her girlfriend gave her a pointed look.  
"Less backtalk, or no head rub for you."

Max shrugged and closed her eyes. She felt Chloe lean over, and a small, upside down kiss was placed on her lips. Chloe drew back, and she felt her fingers wind their way into her hair and grip her scalp with a firm but not unpleasant pressure.

She started slow, drawing small circles on the top of Max's head with her thumbs, while letting her fingers travel up and down the scalp. She noticed Max wasn't responding much, and on a hunch increased the pressure. She was rewarded with a hum of contentment, as Max's features relaxed, the frustration the day had provided slowly dissipating.

Chloe switched technique, letting her nails drag down the side of Max's head. Max relaxed even further, letting out a pleasurable sigh as she enjoyed the attention. This pattern continued for a few minutes; Chloe alternating between long scratches and circular patterns around Max's scalp.  
Eventually, she shifted again, letting her hands move over to Max's forehead. There, she drew her fingers horizontally across the smooth skin, applying pressure as she did so. Every few strokes, Chloe would alternate the horizontal lines with vertical strokes from her thumbs, pushing the skin down and back up.

Max let out a pleasurable "Mmm." At the sensation.

Chloe smirked slightly. "Enjoying yourself?"

Max opened one eye lazily and smiled up at her girlfriend. "Definitely." She murmured.

Chloe's smirk grew a little wider. "Good. Now flip over, we haven't gotten to the best bit yet."

Max obeyed and moved off of Chloe's lap. She came to rest on her stomach with her head resting sideways over crossed hands; the classic massage position. She felt the mattress sink a little as Chloe moved to kneel next to her.

"You're kneeling next to me? I thought you'd be all up for straddling my hips. You usually are." She ended with a wink.

Chloe shook her head. "Nah, that shit's actually hella bad for your back. The real pros sit next to you, like this."

She gestured vaguely at Max's back. "Plus I'm gonna need your shirt off for this."

"Kinky." Max teased.

"Shut up. Shirt off."

Max pouted, but reached down and, after a few seconds of wriggling, threw her shirt onto the floor. She shivered, noticing the temperature in the room wasn't exactly ideal, even with the heating doing its best against the cold February evenings. Chloe, of course, noticed.

"Don't worry, I'll warm you up." She said, nonchalantly unclipping Max's bra in order to have full access to her back.

The brunette somehow managed to resist the temptation of making a joke out of the blatant double entendre, and simply lay silent, waiting for Chloe to begin. She heard the telltale sound of what could only be hands being rubbed vigorously together, and seconds later said hands and their accompanying, glorious warmth made contact with her upper shoulders.

As soon as Chloe's deft digits began to knead the tense muscles of her back, Max practically melted. A low, throaty groan made its way out of her throat as Chloe continued her ministrations, her thumbs digging into the sore muscle firmly, but not uncomfortably.

Chloe continued in this way, loosening the muscle around Max's shoulder blades enough for her to treat the affected area. As soon as she hit the damaged muscle though, Max let out a hiss of pain.

She immediately stopped and pulled her hands away. "Shit, you okay Max?"

Max grimaced a little. "Yeah, it was just kinda unexpected. Keep going though, I'm good."  
Her girlfriend swallowed, feeling a little tentative. "If you're sure." Though a few seconds later, her hands returned to Max's back.

This time, Max only flinched a little, and then relaxed into the gentle pressure Chloe was applying. The pain in her muscles gradually faded under Chloe's efforts, replaced with the pleasant stretch only a good massage could bring.

"Oh fuck…" Max moaned, as her partner hit a particularly sensitive spot. Chloe grinned, and redoubled the pressure she was applying. Max was practically mewling at this point, having been turned to putty in Chloe's skillful hands. The mewling turned back into low groans when Chloe began pummeling her lower back with light fists. Her hands beat out a pattern on the smooth skin, moving up and down Max's back every half minute or so, though she was careful to avoid the spine.

"Damn, Chlo… you're a regular Doctor Feelgood…" Max mumbled.

Chloe just grinned to herself, and pummeled harder.

After another minute or two, Chloe was satisfied Max's pained muscles had been adequately soothed, and replaced the pummeling with caressing and light scratching. Her hands glided up and down the smooth skin, drawing Max into a near-sedate state of relaxation.

Her breathing and heart rate slowed to a decidedly languid pace and, soon enough, Max Caulfield was lulled into a state of blissful sleep, expertly guided with surgeon-like precision by Chloe.

Chloe was also so caught up in her task that she failed to detect Max had fallen asleep, until the woman under her started snoring. Chloe smiled and gently slipped a pillow under Max's head, taking care wipe away the line of drool that had already formed. Then, unable to resist how adorable the sight was, she snapped a photo of Max's sleeping face with her phone.

"Sshh, you saw nothing." She whispered to Max's teddy bear The Captain, who just happened to be perched up against the photo wall. She settled down next to Max, careful not to disturb her girlfriend's sleep. Not that that would have been possible: Max's snoring had steadily increased in volume until it blotted out every other sound in the immediate vicinity.

She plugged her earphones in and loaded up her Amanda Palmer playlist, closing her eyes as the opening chords of Coin Operated Boy trickled into her ears. She was lucky, she thought, to have moments like these, as close to perfection as they could possibly be.

 **Author's Note:** Is it obvious I like writing about physical affection? Because I really, really do. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I have no idea when the next one will be out, I have a few ideas, but haven't picked which one I want to write yet. And as ever, please let me know what you thought, feedback is both valued and appreciated.

Fun fact: this chapter was mostly written on an overnight sleeper (or rather lack of sleep, hence the writing) train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. I don't want to come across as boastful, but I'm pretty sure I'm the only person on the planet to have done that. It's... kinda nice, having a unique thing, y'know?

So, I wanna know: what's the most unusual place you've written fanfiction? Please tell me in the comments :) and until next time, as always, peace out.


	9. Reminiscences

**Author's Note:** Nothing much to say here, other than I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Life is Strange, and the persuasion methods accidentally put DONTNOD's director in a coma. I may be in a bit of a pickle.

 **R** **eminiscences**

The sky was a deep, liquid black when Max arrived at Chloe's house. She was used to Chloe wanting to do things at slightly unsociable hours, but receiving a text at precisely one thirty-three in the morning, asking Max to come see her, was unusual even for Chloe.

She walked up the driveway and knocked on the front door, as she had done hundreds, if not thousands of times before. While she waited to be let in, Max shivered in the cold, early March air. She drew her battered hoodie closer around her shoulders, hoping her teeth wouldn't start chattering.

Max knocked on the door again, thinking maybe Chloe hadn't heard her the first time. When no answer came, she dug her phone out of her pocket and fired off a text.

 **Max: Dude, I'm here. Where are you :-(**

A reply from Chloe appeared within seconds.

 **Chloe: On the roof. Come round** **back,** **there's a ladder.**

Max hadn't even managed to put her phone away before it buzzed for a second time.

 **Chloe: No emoji!**

The brunette rolled her eyes in the direction of the roof, and slipped round the side of the house. Emerging into the back yard a few second later. A tall, slightly unsafe looking ladder was propped up against the back of the house. Max made her way straight to it, and began to climb up.

She emerged over the lip of the roof, clambering slightly awkwardly onto the tiled surface. Once there, she looked around for Chloe. It only took a few second. Her girlfriend was laid on her back on the forward slope of the roof, with one hand resting behind her head, and the other holding a cigarette up to her lips. As Max watched, Chloe took a long drag and, after holding it for a few seconds, blew a perfect smoke ring into the night sky. The smoke ring travelled lazily upwards, and for an all-too-brief moment, framed the bright full moon in a wispy halo.

Max thought it all looked rather beautiful.

"Hey Butterfly." She greeted Chloe. She settled down next to her, mirroring Chloe's position.

Chloe acknowledged her with a flick of her eyes and something on her lips that might have been a smile. "Look up." She whispered. "There's so many..."

Max followed Chloe's directions, and looked up at the deep black of the sky. Only, it wasn't black.

A seemingly impossible number of stars greeted her, shining brightly and defiantly against the infinite, obsidian void surrounding the almost fragile-looking points of light. This stunning sight was aided partly by the lack of lights emanating from Arcadia Bay, a decent chunk of which was still under repair from the storm.

Max's eyes grew wide, darting every which way in a vain attempt to take everything in at once. She could see dozens of constellations, each of which she knew contained yet more stars and nebulae. As her eyes adjusted, Max could even see the band of light that made up the disk of the Milky Way, and, as she watched, a small prick of light that could only be a low-orbiting satellite made its way across her field of view.

She tried to think of the words to describe it all, but nothing seemed appropriate, so she defaulted to a tried-and-true favourite.

"Wowser..." She whispered.

Chloe looked over at her, a smile on her face, before resuming her sky-gazing.

A few minutes trickled by, with both women seemingly content to stare at the sky. Max kept noticing more and more details; a redder star here, a larger blue star there, or the occasional bright green, flickering dot. Though even with all the beauty spread across the sky above her, she couldn't help but notice her usually un-subtle partner had been unusually quiet since she'd arrived.

She gave her a nudge, and a loving smile when Chloe turned to meet her eyes. "So." She began. "What are you thinking about?"

Chloe turned back to the sky and took another drag on her cigarette before replying. "Everything." Another drag. "Nothing." She stubbed it out. "And all the crap in-between."

"Is that from something?" Max queried.

Chloe paused before answering. "No idea."

Silence took its place once more, stretching on longer and longer. Max wasn't concerned; Chloe would talk when she was ready. For now she was happy to lie there and watch the stars slowly chart their path across the sky.

Eventually, Chloe stirred. She sat up and brought her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. "I'm going to be twenty in a week." She said in a quiet, soft-sounding voice.

Max was silent, she knew it would be better to let her girlfriend speak without interruption. She sat up and reached out, placing a hand on Chloe's shoulder; a small reminder that she was there for her.

Chloe swallowed, and continued. "I know I'm being melodramatic and you probably don't want to hear this shit… But this is gonna be the first birthday I haven't spent with Rachel in- in years. And I know I have you here with me, but it fucking sucks anyway, just knowing she's not gonna be here for it." Her voice shook a little. "Shit, I probably sound really fucking selfish. I made you come out here and sit on a cold-ass roof just to listen to me whine about a dead girl."

"Chloe…" Max said tentatively. "Of course I don't think that. You miss her, that's all, and no one on Earth would blame you for that." She leaned over and kissed Chloe on the cheek. "And hey, we're gonna make your birthday hella awesome, for both you and Rachel."

Chloe gave her a look so full of jumbled emotions Max couldn't make head or tails of how she was feeling, but under it, she could see Chloe's interest was piqued.

"… What kind of awesome?" Chloe asked, a curious lilt in her voice.

Max grinned. "You'll just have to wait and see, Miss Price."

Chloe paused, a half smile tugging at her lips. "I might sound like a broken record, but it's gonna be hard to beat the awesomeness me and Rachel got up to last year."

It was bait, but Max took it anyway. "Go on, what epic shenanigans have I not heard about?" She said.

Chloe snorted. ""Epic shenanigans"? Yeah, you're officially banned from saying that ever again. Anyway, last year I was… kind of in a bad place. My step-dou- I mean, step-dad was being an extra big asshole… Though come to think of it, I probably wasn't the nicest person to be around either."

Chloe sparked up another cigarette, the burning end of it reflecting in her eyes and making them almost seem to glow. "But yeah, I was pissed at David, pissed at myself… pissed at everything, pretty much, and Rach picked up on that. So, on my birthday, she drove us up to the junkyard, and when we got there, she got a couple of baseball bats out of the trunk, and a bottle of whiskey and just said " _C'mon, let's trash the place_ ". She just got me like that, you know? She knew I needed to let off some steam, so we spent the entire evening just beating the crap out of every bit of junk in sight, and drinking way more than we should've."

She smiled at nothing in particular, lost in the memory. "Believe me, that old school bus looked a hell of a lot better before Rachel and me went to town on it… smashing the shit out of things made us feel like we were invincible. The junkyard was ours to do as we pleased and nothing in the world was gonna stop us."

Max moved herself over so her head was resting on Chloe's shoulder. "Beating up school buses. That sounds like the Chloe I know."

Chloe looked over at her and winked. "It gets better." She said. "After that we got hella drunk off our asses and ran around like idiots, until both of us fell in this dirty wet fucking ditch and got covered in mud."

Max giggled. "I think I would've given anything to see that."

Chloe shook her head, "Wait, I haven't even gotten to the best bit. So there we were, covered in this fucking freezing mud, drunkenly stumbling back to Rach's car. And then we thought: her car was way nicer than my shitpile of a truck, and we were just drunk enough that we really cared about the goddamn upholstery right then. So, and I shit you not, we stripped down to our underwear, shoved the dirty clothes in the trunk and drove _really slowly_ back to my place."

Max couldn't help it, she burst out laughing.

Chloe giggled as well. "Just picture it: a couple of totally hammered nineteen year olds doing their best to not crash a car, in their underwear, terrified the cops would inexplicably find them and arrest their asses."

"Hunter S. Thompson would've been proud." Max said in a voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Hush, you. The worst part of it was I was way into Rach at the time, and obviously she was hella fine, so I was sporting a major girl boner for the entire drive. And literally every time a car went past, we'd have to duck down to make sure no one saw us, so she would end up on top of me like every two minutes. By the time we got to my place I was wetter than fucking Niagara Falls."

By this point Max had dissolved into uncontrollable belly laughing. Her voice rang clear and loud as a bell into the dark, forcing a hapless Arcadia Bay resident to open a window and yell "Shut the hell up! People are tryin' to sleep here!" At the noisesome couple.

"Sorry!" Chloe yelled back, while Max desperately tried to stifle her giggles.

"Goddamn teenagers…" Came the reply, and the sound of a window slamming shut.

Max was struggling for breath between fits of giggles. "Chloe… I can't… breathe… holy fuck…" She managed to force out in-between fits.

Chloe grinned, and bit her on the ear. Max jumped, and made a sound like a strangled yelp being passed through a small balloon.

"What the shit, Chlo?" She said.

"Well it stopped you giggling like an idiot." The punk replied.

Max opened her mouth to unleash a witty comeback she was sure would come, but, when it didn't, shrugged and conceded the point.

Chloe smirked in victory. "Anyway." She said. "That's what happened on my nineteenth birthday." She looked down, another mysterious smile on her face.

"It's a good memory." She said.

It was a simple statement, but once laced with the weight of events since, and the emotion that came with them.

The couple snuggled a little closer, each of them beginning to be affected by the temperature. Chloe turned towards Max, and ran her fingers along the underside of her jaw, gazing into her eyes with an expression that could only be described as utterly infatuated.

After a few seconds, Max couldn't help but blush. "What?" She said, though she was grinning at Chloe in the way only someone in love could.

"You." Came the answer. "I know I don't say it enough, but I'm lucky to have you, and I'd never take my own personal super hero for granted. You're my world, Max, and I literally wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for you."

Max blushed even further, the redness of her cheeks visible even in the dark of the night. She opened her mouth to speak, but Chloe placed a finger over her lips.

"You don't need to say anything, Max. And you shouldn't be so humble about what you did. You saved my fucking life, no buts about it. When I look at you, and think about what you did for me… I have a thousand words I wanna say, but none of them feel right."

Chloe grimaced a little. She wasn't used to being this open and vulnerable, even with Max. But she stamped down the little doubting voice in her head, and continued.

"And, you know, sometimes I feel like I don't deserve you, or even deserve to be here right now. Because, let's face it, the storm was probably caused by some butterfly effect shit from you saving me… and when I think of the people who died, it kills a little piece of my soul."

She met Max's eyes again, their faces only centimetres apart. "But I'm not gonna quit, especially with all we've been through, together. I'm never leaving you, Max, so you better get used to having me around, for good this time."

"You can talk now." Chloe added, noticing Max's lip was quivering.

She expected Max to say something witty, or attempt to deflect the emotions they both felt with a lame pun, but all Max said was one word:

"Chloe…"

Their lips met, and any need for words vanished. The world melted around Max and Chloe, and all that seemed to exist, all that seemed important, was them and the love they shared.

Above them, the stars shined continuously on into the encroaching dark, beaming brightly into the infinite.

 **Author's Note:** This was honestly really fun to write, and felt like it came together pretty naturally. It was actually heavily inspired by two songs: Lua by Bright Eyes, and 1000 Words from Final Fantasy X-2. I'm not sure why, but it felt like they fit pretty well with what I was writing about.

One thing I wanted to do was explore how Chloe felt, and what her thoughts were at this stage in her relationship with Max, as we've had a few chapters about how Max is feeling, and I felt Chloe was due her turn. That and I wanted her to tell a funny story about what she used to get up to with Rachel in Max's absence.

Fun fact: this chapter has exactly 2,222 words in it. Yay?

Anyway, the next chapter I originally had planned was going to be about Chloe's birthday, but, ah, it's probably gonna be a while before I figure out what to actually write for it. So, instead, the next chapter will see the official first physical appearance of the one and only Kate Marsh. Until next time, peace out.


	10. Gosh Dang it to Heck!

**Author's note:** Aww hells yeah, chapter 10, motherflippers. Self congratulating aside, a good friend came up with the idea for this chapter, so this one's dedicated to lyingpink. Hi! *waves*

Disclaimer: I do not own Life is Strange or any of the characters therein. The Square Enix robots definitely aren't making me write this either.

 **G** **osh** **Dang** **it to Heck**

"Sho." Chloe said through a mouth extremely full of noodles. "'Ow co'e Ka'e 'ever 'shwears?"

Max giggled, though she was internally quite impressed Chloe could make any kind of noise at all; her cheeks were full to the point of bulging prominently, giving her the appearance of a punk rock hamster.

The two of them were sat cross-legged on Chloe's bed, chowing down on Arcadia Bay's finest Chinese takeout. Empty food containers surrounded them, occupying most of the space on the bed, forcing the couple to sit practically on top of one another. Not that they minded the close contact, of course.

Max put her chopsticks down and gave Chloe her best eyebrow raise. "You wanna swallow and try that again?

Chloe immediately and unwisely tried to force the food down her throat, almost choking as she did so. She began to cough and turn red, her neck muscles straining intensely.

"Don't try and force it down, you'll choke." Max said with a wry grin. "Just relax and let it slide down your throat. Geez, we really gotta work on your gag reflex." She'd obviously guessed why Chloe was in such a hurry, and was rewarded when Chloe began to flail her arms, as if it would make the swallowing process quicker.

Finally, Chloe was able to achieve victory over the offending bits of food. She flung her arms out wide, almost decimating a number of containers in the process. "THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID, MOTHERFUCKER!" She triumphantly yelled, with a satisfied, yet comically goofy grin plastered across her face.

A few seconds later, Joyce's voice emanated from downstairs. "Chloe! Language!"

"Sorry Mom!" Chloe shouted back. "I'll put a dollar in the swear jar!"

She turned to Max. "I'm totally not gonna put a dollar in the swear jar." She whispered conspiratorially. "What?" She said when Max gave her a look.

Max swatted her lightly on the head, earning a pout from the punk. "Play nice." Max said. "If you put a dollar in you might actually be able to afford your half of the road trip you keep promising me. Eventually."

"Oh fine." Chloe protested, with a dramatic roll of the eyes. She made a show of getting off the bed and trudging towards the door, looking for all appearances like a moody teen being forced to do household chores, lest she suffer the wrathful judgement of a parental figure.

Max waited while Chloe stomped down the stairs ( _does she ever not sound like_ _an_ _entire herd_ _of rampaging chocobos?_ She thought), and then a few seconds later thundered back up and burst through the door. She flopped onto the bed, sending a few empty cartons flying, and grinning as if nothing had happened.

"Anyways, you gonna answer my question?" She inquired.

"I would if I had understood any of it." Max teased.

That remark got her another pout.

"Well, what I said was: how come Kate never swears? Because she never does. Ever. Like, I think I heard her say heck once? Maybe?"

Max shrugged. "She's just not that kind of person. And it might be a religious thing or something."

Chloe thought for a moment. Then, a look of quite frankly terrifying determination settled onto her face.

"Oh no." Said Max. "I know that look. Whatever you're planning; _no._ "

"I'mma get Kate to swear."

"Chloe no."

"Chloe _yes_." She retorted.

Max gave up and buried her head in her hands. Once Chloe was set upon doing something, no power in the universe could stop her. Trying to would be as pointless as trying to change the path of, well, a storm.

Max felt something poke her in the side. She looked up from her self-made cradle of despair, to find Chloe pointing with her chopsticks.

"You gonna eat that?" She said, an eager look in her eye.

Max looked in the direction she was pointing. A solitary spring roll met her view. A solitary spring roll that was, in fact, hers. "Yes I am and no you can't have it. You always eat them all and I never get any."

"But they're hella tasty." Chloe whined. "I waaaaaant it."

Max shook her head, a faux angry expression made her look like she was turtlefacing.

Chloe narrowed her eyes and brandished her chopsticks in the fashion of a rapier. "I'll fight you for it."

Max gasped in mock protest. A challenge such as Chloe was offering shouldn't and wouldn't be ignored. She found her own chopsticks and twirled them in her fingers, mirroring Chloe. "Hello." Max said, adopting a thick fake Spanish accent. "My name is Maximo Caultoya. You ate my spring roll. Prepare to die."

Chloe smirked, and made an obviously telegraphed jab at Max's right shoulder. Max blocked it, and riposted. The fight was officially on.

Their battle raged across the room, ranging from Chloe stood on the bed taking swipes at Max, who was stood on the floor for surer footing; to Chloe's battered desk chair being used as a mobile defensive barrier by an increasingly harried Max.

Victory eventually fell to Chloe. Max was forced back to the edge of the bed, with her legs pressed up against the foot of it. Seeing an opportunity, Chloe struck, jabbing at the exposed skin of Max's belly with her chopsticks, while she simultaneously stepped forward on her left foot and made for Max's shoulder.

Max was able to block the chopsticks in time, but not the body strike. Chloe barreled into her, and Max had no choice but to fall backwards onto the bed, landing with an audible flump.

Chloe wasted no time in seizing the opportunity. She swiftly clambered onto the bed and straddled Max, sitting on her stomach. She pinned Max's arms with one hand, and with the other grabbed the spring roll and triumphantly popped it into her mouth.

She grinned down at Max, relishing in her victory. "You seem a decent fellow. I hate to kill you." She crowed in obvious pleasure.

Max sighed, and accepted defeat. "You seem a decent fellow. I hate to die." The defeated woman squirmed under her girlfriend's butt, and when that didn't dislodge her, she tipped her head downward and quirked an eyebrow. "You gonna let me up?"

"Nope!" Came the reply, accompanied with yet another wicked grin.

Max grinned back. "As you wish." With an almighty twist, she flipped Chloe off her and tumbled sideways off the bed, where they landed in a heap.

Chloe shrieked as she landed in the floor, a shriek that was swiftly cut short when Max landed on her, driving the wind straight out of the punk.

Max took her position on top of Chloe as an opportunity to pin her to the floor, in a complete reversal of their positions mere moments ago. It wasn't hard for her to establish dominance; Chloe was still busy sucking breath back into her lungs.

The couple's eyes met, and they both burst into giggles until they were each flushed in the face and panting. A thick, charged silence fell between them, one in which the sparks flying between them were almost palpable.

Chloe gazed into Max's eyes, waiting for her to make a move. Her own eyes were half lidded and she was biting her lip, a look she knew Max found intoxicating. And then, while she was still locking eyes with her lover, Chloe felt a very welcome, very familiar sensation that she definitely wasn't going to complain about.

She tilted her head back and closed her eyes, letting Max know she approved. "Is that your hand?" She asked, a hint of breathiness creeping into her voice.

"Yup." Max replied.

"You gonna move it?"

"Nope."

Chloe shrugged. "As you wi- _oh fuck…"_

Max simply smirked. Losing the spring roll had definitely been worth it.

The next day, Max was sat at a quaint, antiquated coffee table in the corner of a cute little tea house hidden almost too well in the midst of the flashy attractions of Arcadia Bay's boardwalk. It was an unusual place to find a tea house, but the ocean scene viewable through the house's little round windows was breathtaking.

She was waiting on Kate, who had sent her a message that morning asking her if Max wanted a tea date, and also that she something in particular to show her. Max couldn't be certain what it was, but she hoped it was more children's illustrations; it had been far too long since she'd seen any from Kate.

Max didn't even realise how long she had been staring out of the window, admiring the view, when she heard the electronic facsimile of a camera phone shutter and a quiet laugh. She turned to find the one and only Kate Marsh sat opposite her, with a gentle smile on her face, her phone in one hand, and a steaming cup of Earl Grey in the other.

Before Max could say anything, Kate leaned across the table and gave her a swift, but warm, hug. "I'm sorry." She said. "I didn't want to surprise you, but you looked so lost in thought and had such a nice smile that I couldn't help it."

Max laughed. "It's OK, really. Can I see the picture?"

Kate nodded and turned her phone so Max could see. Kate wasn't the best at photography, as the framing of the image didn't exactly adhere to the rule of thirds, but Max couldn't help but love the honesty of the image.

In the picture, Max was facing away from the camera, looking at the ocean view to her left. Her entire left side was bathed in the bright sunlight trickling in through the window, giving her a glow like she was stepping through half of a halo. But what made the image captivating, however, was her smile. It was the smile of someone without worries, someone who had love on their mind and wasn't afraid to show it.

"Wowser, Kate." Max said. "Can you send me that? I don't wanna seem like Captain Narcissism, but it's a gorgeous photo."

"Of course I will, and I'd never think that about you, Max." Kate studied the photo for a minute. "You look like you're thinking about someone." She stated. "Maybe someone special?"

Max blushed a little and self consciously rubbed the back of her neck. "Yeah."

Kate smiled. "Chloe?"

At the sound of her name Max couldn't help but smile to herself, which seemed to be all the confirmation Kate needed.

"I don't know Chloe very well." Kate said. "But it makes me glad to see you so happy, Max. You deserve it, and you definitely deserve someone to love and be loved by." The last part wasn't a question, but still had a slight air of probing about it. Kate seemed to get the answer she was looking for when something in Max's smile twitched at the word _love_.

"Yeah, we're in love." Max admitted, breaking out into what was rapidly becoming a characteristic dopey grin.

Kate smile back and clapped her hands together. "That's wonderful Max. The world always needs more love. I don't care what form that love takes, as long as it's real."

Max took one of Kate's hands, giving it an affectionate squeeze. "Thanks Kate, that means a lot to me. I hope you find someone too."

To Max's surprise, Kate blushed.

"That would be… nice." She said, looking down at the table.

Max couldn't help but go on the offensive. "What's this? Is Kate Marsh thinking about romance? Is there a super secret crush I don't know about? Someone you wanna be intimate with?"

Kate blushed even harder, which Max couldn't help but find adorable.

"No! Definitely no crushes! But… I couldn't help but see how happy you were with Chloe… and it made me want what you have." She said, her voice tailing off wistfully at the end. "And, maybe, beintimatewithalittlebitIdon'tknow." She mumbled into her teacup.

"You'll find someone perfect for you Kate, I'm sure of it." Max winked at her. "And I gotta admit, if I weren't with Chloe I'd readily eat you up!"

If it was possible, Kate blushed even harder, all of a sudden finding the depths of her tea cup to be the most fascinating thing in existence. She was spared having to think of an answer, however, by the interruption of a familiar voice.

"So, what are you two gossiping hens talking about?" Said Chloe Price as she dragged a chair over and plopped herself down on it.

"Chloe? How'd you know where I was?" Max asked, genuinely perplexed.

Chloe gave her a look of _Dude, really?_ "You said you had a tea date with Kate, plus, dude, you checked in here on Facebook."

Max looked sheepish. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that."

Chloe grinned. "So, what's happening?"

That remark got her a sarcastic eyebrow raise.

"You mean besides the fact that you've just invited yourself on our tea date?" Max said with maximum dryness.

The grin widened. "Yup!"

Max sighed. Try as she might, she just couldn't be mad at Chloe when she was in high spirits. "Well, we were actually talking about Kate's love life." She said, looking over at the woman in question to see if she was okay talking about it. She received a nod in reply, though Kate was still blushing a little.

Chloe's interest was immediately captured. She sat up and leaned over the table, looking almost like an over-active puppy. "Ooh, you got someone you wanna get biblical with?" She said to Kate.

Kate's mouth fell open in shock. She had definitely not been expecting such a direct question.

Chloe continued, oblivious to her own obtuseness. "Y'know, get down like Mary Magdalene. Make with the begatting. Do the dirty like a shepherd's daughter."

"Oh my god. Chloe I literally can't take you anywhere." Max moaned into her hands, which were now covering her face.

"What? I'm just asking Kate if she wants to get laid. She could use a good fuck if you ask me. Right Kate?"

Kate appeared to have entered a mild state of catatonia, so all she managed was "I- I- I- I-I"

"-Need a good ol' fashioned fuckin'?" Prompted Chloe.

Kate snapped her mouth shut and stared fiercely at her now empty teacup, looking for all the world like she wanted to climb in and disappear.

"C'mon Kate, you can say if you wanna fuck someone. It's just one little word: "fuuuuuuuuuck". It feels good to say, trust me. How about trying it on for size?" She ended with a wink.

Kate shook her head vehemently, still staring at anything but Chloe, who pouted, seeing her efforts had, for the moment, failed.

"Great. Thanks. You've sent my friend into shock." Max said, with a not inconsiderable amount of irritation.

Chloe just gave an enthusiastic thumbs up.

Max rolled her eyes, thinking that she'd been doing that a lot lately. She laid a hand on Kate's shoulder and gave her a small shake. "Kate sweetie? Didn't you have something to show me?" She reminded her gently. The prompt seemed to snap Kate out of her prior state. She shook her head and blinked, as if waking from an unexpected sleep.

"Oh, yes I do. Thanks, Max." She bent down in her seat and began rummaging through her bag. "Oh no!" She said, voiced filled with concern. "I think I left my sketchbook in my room, and I had so many drawings I wanted to show you! Oh, gosh dang it to heck!"

An awkward silence ensued, until it was broken by Chloe clearing her throat. "Well, I do have my truck here. I could just drive us all back to Blackwell. If you guys want, that is."

"Hmm. It would make up for you being a colossal butt right now." Max ventured. "Kate?"

Kate considered her options for a moment before coming to a decision. "Sure." She said. "It's a while until the next bus anyway."

The three of them piled out of the tea house and began walking along the boardwalk to Chloe's truck. The sun was beginning to hang low in the sky, casting everything around them in a hazy gold glow. Max couldn't help but get out her camera and take a few pictures.

When they reached the truck, Kate surprised everyone by calling shotgun. "I never get to do that." She said shyly, though she had an air of satisfaction about her.

Max and Chloe shrugged at each other, and clambered into the battered truck, with Max stretching out on the back seat, finding a spot amidst all the crumpled soft drink cans and empty packs of chips.

The drive to Blackwell was short and uneventful, even with Chloe blasting Joan Jett and Black Flag the entire way. Aside from the liberal serving of punk rock, the three of them were happy to sit in silence and enjoy the drive. Chloe had the windows open, and the cool air flowing in was a nice contrast to the warmth of the late May sun.

They pulled into the Blackwell parking lot just as the sun was beginning to rest on the horizon. Max got out of the truck and stretched lazily. Kate followed suit, while Chloe sparked up a cigarette.

"If I'm remembering right, I probably left it on my desk." Kate said. "You two are welcome to come along if you want."

"That sounds nice." Max said. "Chloe?"

Chloe took a long drag on her cigarette, burning it down almost to the filter before flicking it away. "Sure." She said. "Sounds fun."

The trio made their way out of the parking lot, heading towards the girl's dormitory. However, just as they were crossing the main campus, Max heard a derisive laugh pierce the air, a laugh that could only be directed at the three of them.

"Oh for fuck's sake." Max whispered to herself. Kate seemed to have a similar internal reaction, bowing her head slightly and clutching at the ends of her cardigan.

"Well if it isn't Arcadia Bay's biggest rejects." Crowed Victoria Chase, stepping out from behind a tree. "The tragic hipster, the dyke and God's favourite slut." She smirked. "What a fucking surprise."

 **Author's note:** *gasps* A cliffhanger? Oh my! Drama! Suspense! Lazy storytelling!

Just kidding about the lazy storytelling. Maybe. I actually ended up splitting this chapter in two because it was reaching a slightly ridiculous length and it wasn't even halfway done (word count on this half: 3048), and I wanted to give you guys something to read this week instead of making you wait.

Anyway, my shift patterns at work are changing, which in fact is gonna give me a lot more free time, so the next chapter should be out even sooner! And as always, leave a comment with what you liked or didn't like. I crave attention like that. Peace out until next time.


	11. Fuck It

Chapter content warning: there is an insult that mentions necrophilia, so if you're at all uncomfortable with that subject matter, you might wanna give this chapter a skip. I really don't want to upset or offend anyone, hence the warning.

Yeah, I really think I've earned the M rating on this one, especially at the end of the chapter...

Disclaimer: It's really pretty hard thinking of these meta narrative disclaimer things, you know? Anyway, I obviously still don't own anything to do with LiS.

 **Fuck It**

Victoria Chase was the last person Max had expected or wanted to see that day, especially when the rest of her day had been so pleasant. She sighed in a resigned manner and brushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes, before fixing Victoria, who was still smirking to herself at her earlier remark, with a small glare. "What do you want Victoria?" She said, making no effort to keep any exasperation from entering her voice.

Victoria snorted. "As if I would want anything from _you._ Can't I laugh at three tragically inept losers who, let's face it, are going nowhere in life. Fast." She said haughtily, all upturned nose and an air of false superiority.

"Good to know." Max drawled sarcastically. "For a minute there I thought you were going to treat me like an actual human. Guess I shouldn't have gotten myself all worked up."

Chloe snorted, leading Victoria to cast her a vicious scowl.

"Geez, Max." She said, trying to retain her self-appointed status as the alpha female. "Control your pet lesbian, will you? Or do I have to call the cops and tell them she assaulted me? I'm sure they'll believe anything _I_ have to say over _her._ "

Chloe's glowering morphed into a twisted sneer. "I'd tell you to go suck a thousand hobo dicks, in a row, but then again you probably did that this morning. Tell me, what's it like being the star of your very own hobo bukkake party?"

Victoria's lip curled in an exceedingly ugly manner. "Why don't you go fuck Rachel Amber's corpse?" She snarled. "Because she obviously never would've let you do her when she was alive."

"Oh, I'm sorry." She said in a mockingly sincere voice, having noticed Chloe's furious expression. "I thought all you punks and social rejects were into that kind of shit? My bad. Sadface."

Unable to let an insult like that go, Chloe growled and drew herself up to her full height, glowering in an impressively threatening way. She took a deliberate step forward.

At the same time, Max bristled, sorely tempted to let Chloe pound the ever-loving hell out of her. She opened her mouth to deliver a scathing response, but was beaten to the punch, to everyone's surprise, by Kate.

"Just what the heck is your problem, Victoria?" Kate demanded, stepping right up to her. Victoria towered over her, but that didn't seem to phase Kate in the slightest. "You don't know Chloe one bit, and that's an awful thing to say about Rachel. You should be ashamed." She poked Victoria in the chest. "And Max has never been nasty or mean to you, so why are like that to her? I can't believe you have the nerve to treat both of them like they're pieces of dirt when you were _happy_ they got together! And yes, I know about that. Max showed me the text. Because that's what _friends_ do. They share nice things with each other, and don't put down other people!" Kate took a breath, her chest heaving and face flushed with anger. "And if you are going to do that, well then you should – you should just-" She stopped abruptly, looking like she was building up to something, but hadn't yet found the motivation to say it.

Chloe's eyes widened, a thought managing to slice its way through the righteous anger clouding her brain. _Wait, is Kate gonna tell Victoria to go fuck herself? Oh please let that happen. It would be so hella cool. Go on, Kate, you can do it!_

"You should just step off and leave people the frick alone!" Kate finally finished with.

 _Swing and a miss._ Thought Chloe. _Though she gets mad props for the verbal smackdown._

"Max, Chloe. Let's go. We're done here." Kate ordered, pushing past Victoria, who looked beyond stunned at Kate's outburst.

As Max walked past, she glanced at Victoria, and the view from close up almost startled her. Victoria's usually flawless make-up was patchy looking, and she had some badly concealed shadowy bags under her eyes. Her hair, which Max had never seen less than perfect, was sporting some obvious split ends, and her cherry red lips were showing signs of having been stress-bitten underneath the thick lipstick. As a final touch to the generally frazzled appearance, her nail polish was chipped. All of this mixed together to give the tell-tale signs of someone who was barely keeping herself under control.

 _Oh man._ Max thought as they walked, leaving Victoria behind. _Victoria looks bad. I wonder what's eating her._ She didn't have the chance to ponder further, however, as Kate had stopped just outside the doorway to the girls' dorm. She looked rather embarrassed, and was holding her arms in a sheepish fashion.

"Sorry I blew up like that." Kate said quietly. "Every bit of anger I've ever felt towards Victoria came rushing back when she started attacking you like that and I – I couldn't stop thinking about that video of me and how they all treated me and I just snapped, I guess." She looked down, a troubled expression on her face.

Max and Chloe shared a look and, as one, drew Kate into a hug. She seemed startled at first, but after a few seconds relaxed, and put her arms around their backs.

"Don't worry about it, Kate." Max said comfortingly. "You were actually pretty awesome."

"Hella yeah." Chloe agreed. "I never knew you could layeth the smackdown like that. Remind me never to piss you off!"

Kate smiled and turned back towards the dorms. "Let's go in." She said, though Max couldn't help but see the smile lingering on her lips.

The dorms appeared to be deserted when they entered. There wasn't even muffled music coming from any of the rooms. As such, the trio were able to proceed to Kate's room with no further interruption. Once they were in, Kate made a beeline for her desk, snatching up her sketchbook victoriously when she saw it. She beckoned Max over to the bed, and the two of them sat down while Chloe seemed happy to wander around the room, occasionally poking at one of Kate's belongings.

Kate launched into showing Max her new drawings, which she explained were characters she wanted to include in a children's book on the topics of depression and bullying. Max was quite taken by one character: an anthropomorphic doe wearing a grey hoodie.

Kate smiled. "I thought you'd like that one. She's pretty much why I wanted to show you the sketches."

Max looked puzzled. "Why that one? What's special about her?"

Kate shook her head, still smiling. She reached out and ruffled a bemused Max's hair. "Look at her." She said simply.

Max did, and after a few seconds, it clicked. "Holy shit, is that me? Am I gonna be a character in your book?"

Kate nodded enthusiastically, her hair bun bouncing on top of her head and a grin that stretched from ear to ear.

"Wowser, Kate. That's amazing! Though, what made you want to put me in it?"

Kate shrugged. "Why wouldn't I? Max, you were there for me at a time when no one else was. You didn't judge me for anything, like my religion or – or that video … You were simply my friend when I needed one, so of course I wanted to put you in my book!"

Max hugged her, trying to say everything she had running through her mind in one single action of affection. Kate seemed to understand, and returned the hug warmly.

Chloe, who had up until that point been pretending to be distracted, couldn't help but smile to herself. "Alright, enough with the mushy shit." She said, though Kate and Max could easily tell she didn't mean it. "Now, what we need after a hella weird day like today … is to keep it hella weird. And by hella weird I mean we're gonna watch bad movies in Max's room and laugh until it hurts. And no, you don't get a choice in this."

Max had assumed Chloe had had some form of ulterior motive in wanting to come to Blackwell that evening and, as usual, her suspicions were entirely correct. She turned to Kate. "What do you think, Kate? Wanna hang out with us some more?"

Kate smiled as warmly as ever. "Sure. You two are nice company."

Max blanched. "I don't think anyone's ever referred to Chloe as "nice company" before." She said. "That might be a world first, right there."

Chloe ignored the good-natured jibe and sidled up behind Max, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend's slender shoulders. "You seem to think my company is perfectly nice." She breathed into Max's ear, drawing a blush from her and also, surprisingly; from Kate, who couldn't help but overhear.

It was only when Chloe subtly bit Max's earlobe to accompany the warm breaths she was letting caress the soft skin there, that Max was able to form a response.

She abruptly jerked away from Chloe, trying and failing spectacularly to appear un-flustered. " **Okay bad movie time now let's go."** She said, a little too forcefully.

She made for the door, with Chloe linking arms with her as she stepped through the frame.

Kate couldn't help but notice Chloe had a kind of swing in her hips that definitely hadn't been there moments previously. She mentally shrugged and followed the two to Max's room, entering it a few seconds after the couple. Chloe had already flopped down onto the bed, sprawling out like she owned the place. Max was busying herself setting up the TV and DVD player, looking around for the relevant cables.

"So what are we going to watch?" Kate asked Chloe. "I don't really know many bad movies … and to be honest I don't know how a bad movie could be enjoyable to watch."

Chloe surprised her by reaching out and ruffling her hair.

"Oh my sweet summer child." She grinned. "You have so much to learn. We watch bad movies because under the right circumstances, like with a group of friends, they're fucking hilarious." She dug around in her bag before producing a small pile of DVD's. "And to answer your first question, we will be partaking exclusively from the cinematic _oeuvre –_ yes I know a fancy French word, shut up Max." She said, her speech derailed momentarily by Max throwing her an incredulous look over the use of the word _oeuvre. "Anyway."_ She continued. "Our viewing selection tonight isentirely from the one and only: Nicolas Cage. I recommend we start with the best film to ever feature a dude in a bear suit punching people; _The Wicker Man."_ She held out the DVD case to Max, beaming.

Max rolled her eyes and took the proffered case, slipping the disc neatly into the disc drive. She turned and clambered onto the bed, snuggling up to Chloe, who looped an arm round her and covered both of their lower halves with the duvet. Kate was happy to sit on a cushion on the floor, with her back propped up against the bed.

Max made to start the movie up, but Chloe stopped her, a mischievous smirk on her face.

"Just a sec, Maxipad. If we're gonna do this, we're gonna do it _right."_ Chloe said. She began rummaging in her bag again.

"Chloe..." Max began cautiously.

After a few seconds, Chloe cooed in pleasure, and produced an obviously shaped brown paper bag. "Ta-da!" She sang, and tore the bag away to reveal a bottle of single malt whiskey.

Max facepalmed, and Kate looked instantly terrified at the prospect of alcohol. Chloe simply grinned.

"That's right, we gon' get drunk as _fuuuuuuck._ " She opened the bottle and took a swig, after which she offered it to her two companions.

Kate visibly shrank from the bottle. "I – I – I'd rather not..." She said in a quiet voice, looking anywhere but at Chloe and the alcohol.

Chloe nonchalantly shrugged. "S'alright." She said. "No one's forcing you to. Leaves more for me and Maxstreet Boys anyway. Speaking of, Max, you want some?"

Max considered for a moment. Surely it couldn't hurt to have just a little bit? "OK, I'll have some. But just a bit, I don't wanna feel like shit in the morning."

"Attagirl." Chloe grinned. She gave the bottle to Max, who took a small sip, grimaced, and tried not to cough.

"Jesus, Chlo. How strong is this? I feel like I just got sucker punched by an angry gorilla!"

Chloe took another sip. "Good shit, ain't it." She directed her attention towards the TV. "Alright, let's watch this abomination of cinema."

The movie began to play, and soon the trio were giggling constantly at the train wreck playing out on screen. Max and Chloe passed the bottle between each other every few minutes, and about halfway through the movie, most of it had been drunk by the two increasingly tipsy women.

It was only slightly after that, that Kate noticed she was the only one still making any signs of interest at the unintentionally hilarious movie; Max and Chloe had fallen almost suspiciously silent.

The bed moved.

Or at least, Kate thought it did. She waited for a few seconds, to see if she was just imagining things. _OK, that was definite movement._ She thought, after feeling the bed shift ever so slightly. Although the movie was the primary source of noise in the room, she also thought she heard some highly irregular breathing coming from behind her.

After a couple more minutes, curiosity got the better of her. She risked a quick, fleeting glance behind her. What she saw made her eyes open wide as saucers; looking back had definitely not been a good decision.

Max's own eyes were closed, and her head was tipped back, resting against Chloe's shoulder. Even with the duvet covering them, Kate could tell Max was sat between Chloe's legs, with her back resting on Chloe's front. Max's hand covered her mouth to stifle any noise, forcing her to breathe through her nose, which explained the irregular breathing. As to why she was breathing so erratically: even in the darkness of the room, lit only by the TV screen, Kate could make out movement under the covers. Chloe's hand was very obviously in between Max's legs, and even someone as inexperienced as Kate could figure out what Chloe was doing.

Kate hurriedly looked back at the screen, feeling her face begin to flush and her body heat rising at an alarming rate. It was especially hot in one particular – _Oh no,_ thought Kate.

She couldn't possibly concentrate on the movie now, not with what she knew was still happening behind her, and her own body betraying her in the worst possible way wasn't exactly helpful, either. She tried her hardest to ignore it, to will away the fashion in which her body was responding. But it was useless, especially when she thought she heard a quiet and rapidly stifled intake of breath. She _needed_ to look again.

When she did, she had to bite her lip to prevent herself from making a gasp of her own. Chloe now had her eyes closed and a smile on her face, and her other hand had made its way under Max's shirt, and judging from the movements of the material, her hand was exploring two very specific places. The angle of Chloe's arm had also rucked up Max's shirt, exposing a wide swathe of skin across her midsection.

Max herself still had her eyes closed, though her brow was furrowed and she looked like she was making a great effort not to make any obvious noise. That effort was rendered a little pointless, however, by the slight shifting of the covers as Max moved her hips back and forth, obviously seeking something … more.

Kate found herself fascinated by the movement, her mouth fell open and her breathing quickened as she watched. _Wait, what am I doing?_ She thought. _This is_ so _inappropriate. They shouldn't be doing that with me here, and I_ definitely _should not be watching them!_ Why _am_ _I watching them?! Oh, this is so confusing..._

Kate forced herself to turn back round, and once again tried to ignore the rather clandestine activity taking place just a few feet from her. But she couldn't. She couldn't do it. Her breaking point came just a few seconds later, when Max accidentally let out a single, small, high-pitched mewl, accompanied by a stronger bucking of her hips.

" _ **Oh would you two just fuck and get it over with already**_?!" Kate found herself almost shouting.

Max and Chloe jerked apart as if an electric shock had passed between them . Even in the dim light of the room, Kate could tell Max looked mortally embarrassed.

A supremely awkward silence fell between the three of them, with none of them making eye contact with the others. Kate herself was suffering from multiple sources of embarrassment: it was now obvious she knew what the couple had been doing, and she had very obviously used obscene language.

Eventually, Max broke the silence. "Kate, I'm so sorr-"

" _Oh not the bees! Not the bees! Arrrghghg! Oh they're in my eyes! Aaaaarrggh!"_

As luck would have it, the movie had reached the infamous bees scene, and Max's attempt at an apology was loudly interrupted by Nicolas Cage's "acting". It was impossible to take anything serious after hamminess of such magnitude, and the trio dissolved into giggles.

"Wowser, that was bad." Max commented when the laughing dried up. "Anyway." She continued. "I'm really sorry, Kate. We shouldn't have been doing that with you here. I … I think the alcohol might have been a bad idea."

Chloe grimaced. "Nah. It was my fault. I maybe convinced Max to, umm, y'know, by saying I thought you'd fallen asleep (and let's face it you're kinda quiet, so what's a drunk girl to assume?), so if anyone should be apologising, it's me. I'm hella sorry Kate. Totes inappropes of us."

Kate sighed. "It's okay. Just … try and keep your hands off each other a bit more when I'm around." She threw the both of them a mischievous grin. "Or should that be 'keep your hands _out_ of each other'?"

Max immediately went beet red and Chloe spat out the mouthful of whiskey she'd just imbibed, coughing profusely.

"And with that, I'm gonna go." Kate said, noticing the movie had ended. "I'm sure you two have some _business_ you'd like to finish."

She made for the door, and just before she slipped through it, winked at Max and Chloe, who were still lost for words. She exited out into the corridor, a curious spring in her step and a kind of tingling feeling in her core. Kate knew something had changed inside her, but she didn't know what. _Well, I'm sure I'll figure it out,_ she thought to herself. She made her way back to her own room, smiling the entire way.

Back in Max's room, the couple had regained the power of speech. "Is it me, or was Kate … flirting?" Max said, a puzzled expression on her face.

"Maybe? I've never seen her flirt, so I've got no idea." Chloe responded.

"Well, even if she was, let's make sure that kinda thing _never_ happens again. I'm gonna be hella embarrassed about this for, like, ever." Max lamented.

"Meh, could've been worse. I've been caught doing way worse stuff." Chloe said nonchalantly. "Plus, there's a silver lining." She said in her most enticing voice.

Max's curiosity was piqued. "And what's that?"

Chloe grinned. "Told you I'd get her to swear."

 **Author's Note:** This took fricking ages to write. I mean, a two part uber chapter about getting Kate to swear? The idea is simple, so I definitely didn't think I'd be writing over 6000 words about it.

Anyway, the next chapter will directly follow on from this, and deal with Victoria, to round out what's now a sort of mini-trilogy chapter thing. And don't worry, Kate having a crush on both Max and Chloe is definitely something I'll be revisiting in the future.  
Oh god. I have plot points now. This was meant to just be fluffy bullshit with the occasional sexy part...

As always, leave a comment or any feedback with what you did or didn't enjoy. Peace out.


	12. Clique Bait

**Author's note:** You all know why you're here. On with the show!

Disclaimer: if someone would like to buy me the series, that would be lovely of them. Until then, still don't own anything here.

 **C** **lique Bait**

 _Bzzt._

 _Bzzt._

 _Bzzt._

Max's phone buzzed, dragging her reluctantly away from the exceptionally pleasant dream she'd been having. She opened one bleary eye and clumsily reached for the offending device. A low grumble made its way out of her throat as she unlocked her phone, and forced herself to focus on why it had so insistently buzzed. The border at the top of the screen informed her she in fact had a new message. _Who the shit messages someone at –_ she checked the time – _seven thirty in the fricking morning?_ Max thought. She froze, however, when she saw exactly who had sent the message.

Victoria Chase.

 _Oh fuck. This is gonna be about yesterday isn't it?_ Max groaned inwardly. She anxiously prodded the little message icon, dreading what it was going to say.

 **Victoria: Max, I wanna talk abt yesterday. Come meet me in 30 minutes by the fountain. U better not b late.**

Max sighed. She knew the incident with Victoria the previous day was going to have consequences. She made to get out of bed, but was hampered by a certain someone's arm wrapped around her stomach. Max looked over her shoulder, to find a very naked Chloe snuggled up to her back. Despite the fact that her partner was stark naked, Max was still somehow wearing a semblance of clothing, if a tee shirt and one singular stocking could be counted. _Where did that stocking even come from anyway? I don't own any!_ Max thought, still slightly bewildered.

She blushed as she remembered the events of the previous night. After Kate had left, the two of them had wasted no time in continuing their activities. _Oh man, I hope Kate didn't hear us_ , she thought; the two of them had been pretty vigorous. She stretched out and yawned, grimacing when her jaw ached at the sudden movement.

 _I gotta take it a little easier next time,_ she thought, gingerly stretching out her jaw. A vivid memory of their activities swam to the surface of her mind: Chloe, her head thrown back and legs clamped around Max's head, her body writhing almost uncontrollably. _So that's why my jaw hurts._ She smiled to herself. _Totally worth it._

She tried to remove herself from Chloe's grasp, but all that resulted in was Chloe tightening her grip.

"Chlo, sweetie. You need to let go, I gotta get up." Max whispered into her ear.

"Nah you don'." Chloe mumbled, her eyes still closed. "'S Saturday… I got you all to m'self."

"I'm serious, Chloe. You need to let me up. It's important."

"Fiiiine." Chloe grumbled. She opened her eyes, blinked a few times and then stretched, making a noise not unlike that of a purring cat.

Max couldn't help but bite her lip, her expression pure lust. She knew the stretching was for her benefit, and she greedily let her eyes roam over the lines and curves of Chloe's body. The sight of her on full display, bathed in the morning light, was nothing short of breathtaking. _I am one hella lucky girl,_ Max thought.

Chloe had, of course, noticed Max's expression. "See something you like?" She asked, letting her hand trail down her body, beginning at her neck, roaming over the swell of her chest and finishing just inside the dip of her hip bone.

Max swallowed, audibly. She blinked several times to clear her head of the lustful fog that had begun to settle upon it. "I definitely do, but I gotta go shower and stuff." She said, hating the need for her to be responsible.

Chloe pursed her lips, making a faux-thoughtful face. "Mmm, I just might join you for that shower…" She let the sentence trail off deliberately, the meaning behind it made perfectly clear.

"As much as I'd love that, we'd just end up taking way too long, and I'd be late." Max said regretfully.

"Late? For what? Thought you had the day off?" Chloe said with a small hint of a jealous pout.

In response, Max showed her the text from Victoria.

Chloe's expression darkened, becoming furious in an instant. "No." She growled. "No fucking way. You're not going." She knelt up on the bed and slashed her arm through the air for emphasis.

"Chloe, don't be like that." Max sighed.

"Like what? Like I shouldn't want to protect you from shit like this?"

"Protect me? Chlo, I love you, but I don't need protecting. Especially not from Victoria."

Chloe crossed her arms, standing in an openly confrontational way, despite still being nude. "And how do you know that, Max? What if you get down there and she's got a bunch of her cronies waiting, and they beat the shit out of you, or take you off somewhere and…" She trailed off, her eyes full of worry.

"C'mon." Max said. "Victoria might be a bitch but she's not a psychopath. Ambushing someone like that is shit Nathan would've pulled, not her."

Chloe wasn't convinced. "Yeah, and they were best buddies, in case you'd forgotten. And even if it's not that, all she's gonna do is insult you. Max, don't bother, I'm telling you."

"I think I need to. This could be the chance to bury the hatchet, or at least put it down somewhere. And you know that if I don't go she'll just be a total fucking terror to deal with in future."

Chloe bit her lip; Max had a good point. "Fine." She said. "But I want you to text me if anything, and I mean _anything_ feels weird."

Max nodded. "Alright. One text and you can come running in like a scary punk knight." She checked her phone. "And now I really do have to go shower, I've got like fifteen minutes."

When Chloe nodded in acknowledgement, Max stripped off the tee-shirt and singular stocking, and wrapped a towel around her. She quickly gathered her shower things together, gave Chloe a quick peck on the cheek, and set off for the bathroom. Once there, she showered with record speed, opting to brush her teeth in the shower cubicle to save time. After a few minutes, she shut the water off and dried herself off as quickly as humanly possible, before wrapping the towel back around herself and half walked, half jogged back to her room.

When she got in, she found Chloe had made a slight effort to get dressed. Instead of being naked, she had pulled on her tank top from the day before and her panties.

Max raised an eyebrow. "If you're gonna come running, won't you need a few more clothes than that?" She asked as she ran a brush through her hair.

Chloe shrugged, her eyes glued to her phone. "It takes like five seconds to pull on a pair of pants. It'll be fine."

"What about a bra?"

Another shrug. "Meh."

Max chuckled to herself and opened her wardrobe, pulling out the first things that came to hand, which just happened to be acid washed jeans and a plaid shirt. She quickly pulled the clothes on and grabbed her bag from its resting place on the couch.

"Alright, I'm gonna head. And don't worry, I'll let you know the second things go sideways, if they do." She waved her phone for emphasis. When Chloe nodded, she turned and made to exit the room, but was stopped by a hand grabbing her arm and pulling her around. The next second, Chloe had pressed her up against the wall and pushed her lips into hers in a deep, loving kiss. It was only when they parted that Max remembered to breathe.

Before she could even say a word, Chloe winked at her.

"Kick her ass."

Max smiled. She knew that was Chloe's way of letting her know she had her full support. She turned and, after blowing a kiss at her partner, slipped out of the door. She strode towards the dormitory exit, being careful not to make enough noise to disturb the sleepy calm of the early morning.

She stepped out of the dormitory, closed the door as quietly as possible, and turned to face the morning light. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, savouring the scent of the air, which was unusually crisp for late May. _Suppose I should get going,_ Max thought. She checked her phone; it read 7:58. _Better not keep her highness waiting._

She counted exactly forty five seconds between leaving the dorms and arriving on main campus. The grounds were silent, devoid of any activity save for the quiet rustling of the pine trees in the gentle breeze. The place was tranquil. Empty.

Empty save for one.

Victoria Chase sat alone on the edge of the fountain. She held a cigarette to her lips, but otherwise was perfectly still. She was staring out across the main steps, seemingly lost in thought. She had yet to notice Max.

 _Alright. Let's do this._ Max said to herself.

She steeled herself, and walked across the grounds. As she approached, she couldn't help but notice that, again, Victoria's appearance wasn't up to her usual standard. Her hair was mussed up, as if she hadn't bothered to brush it, and her usually chic and fashionable attire was nowhere to be seen, replaced by an old looking navy blue hoodie, and grey yoga pants. As Max drew closer, she could also see that Victoria's face was devoid of any makeup, something Max would never have dreamed of seeing her without. The bags under her eyes were even more pronounced than the previous day, and Max could easily see how dry her skin looked.

She looked very vulnerable, Max thought.

"Hey Victoria." She greeted her, somewhat meekly.

Victoria acknowledged her with a flick of her eyes and nothing more. She jerked her head sharply, indicating Max should sit down.

Max did, though she was conscious to put a comfortable distance between the two of them. When she had settled, she was sure Victoria was going to talk first, so she sat and waited.

And waited.

She wasn't sure how much time went by, but she had to force herself to stop from fidgeting out of a mix of nervousness and boredom. Whenever she glanced over at Victoria, she looked like she wanted to say something, but hadn't quite found whatever motivation she needed to say it.

Max was just about to give up and walk off, when Victoria sighed, flicked her cigarette away, and pinched the bridge of her nose with two fingers, screwing up her face into a grimace.

"I fucked up." She said.

 _Wait what?_

"I fucked up." Victoria repeated. "I fucked up and… I'm sorry."

Max's brain momentarily shut down and refused to think of a response to such a statement, so she elected to remain silent.

"I'm sorry I treated you, and Kate, and Chloe like shit yesterday."

 _What is going on?_

"I was acting like a total fucking bitch and I deserve everything you can throw at me."

 _Holy fucking what?_

Max was utterly dumbfounded. An apology was the last thing she'd been expecting. "Victoria-" She began.

"No, Max, shut up. I'm not finished. I've been a super shitty person, not just to you, but to everyone and – and I can't take it anymore. I need to talk to someone."

That statement threw Max off even further. "If you need to talk to someone why don't you talk to Taylor, or Juliet or any other of your Vortex Club cronies?"

Victoria gave her a look that Max could barely comprehend.

"I'm talking to you because you're honest, Max. You think any of my friends would actually bother to be honest with me? Of course they wouldn't! Even Taylor, as much as I love her, would never be totally, factually honest with me. You and Kate are the only ones who would ever call me out."

"Then why not talk to Kate?"

"I – I can't. I'm only comfortable talking to you. I couldn't talk to Kate … not after what we did to her."

A curious expression was on Victoria's face. Max could see what she thought was guilt, regret and something else she couldn't quite place. Longing, maybe?

"Jesus." Victoria shook her head. "How fucked up is it that the one person I can talk to hates my guts?"

Max tentatively raised a hand and, when Victoria didn't resist, rested it on her shoulder. "I don't hate you, Victoria. I actually think you can be a pretty nice person when you want to be. You're just … not that nice all of the time."

When she didn't answer, Max pressed further. "Where's this all coming from? I mean, I don't wanna seem nosey, but there's gotta be a reason. I've never seen you like this, you know, so unlike your normal self.

When Victoria next spoke, her voice cracked noticeably. "I- I've been trying to move my career along and get my w-work displayed... but it's n-not working. I've submitted to twelve galleries... Twelve! But they- they all rejected me." She punched the stonework next to her. "Every. Single. One. "

However much of a bitch Victoria had been, Max couldn't help but empathize with her. She was, after all, still terrified about getting her own work out there. "Oh … Victoria, I'm so sorry."

Victoria turned sharply, almost violently towards Max, not bothering to hide the tears streaming plainly down her face. "Wh- what if I'm a failure? What if everything I've worked for goes to waste because everyone thinks I'm just some – some talentless hack who's never going to amount to shit?!" She collapsed into tears, bawling into her hands. Max once again placed a hand on her shoulder, as Victoria's back rose and fell in great, wracking sobs.

However, she wasn't prepared when that small amount of contact seemed to break the invisible wall between them, and Victoria flung her arms around Max's neck, crying quite literally into her shoulder. After a few seconds of shock, Max returned the hug, gently rubbing Victoria's back. This continued for quite a while; Victoria sobbing her lungs out and Max not quite knowing what to do, aside from simply staying there and letting Victoria vent her feelings.

Eventually, the sobs died down, replaced by pitiful sniffles. Victoria raised her head to meet Max's eyes, and Max thought she had never seen someone look so despondent.

"You must think I'm really fucking pathetic now." She said, her voice barely climbing above a ragged whisper.

"Vee..." Max said, unconsciously coining the nickname. "Of course I don't think you're pathetic. You've just had a few setbacks, that's all. And for what it's worth, I've seen your work, and so has everyone at Blackwell, and _no one_ is ever gonna think you're a hack or whatever. You have some serious talent, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't jealous of a whole bunch of your stuff."

"... You mean that?"

"Of course I do. You said it yourself: I'm honest with you. And trust me: your photos are hella awesome."

That elicited a groan from Victoria. "God, you're such a dork, Max." It was a typical insult, but there was no venom or malice behind it.

"You gonna be OK?" Max ventured.

Victoria paused, thinking the question over. "I don't know. Maybe. I don't know if I deserve to be OK yet."

"Well, if you ever want to talk, about photography or anything, you know where I am." Max offered. To her surprise, Victoria smiled at her, and contained within was genuine warmth.

"Thanks Max. I'd … I'd like that. She hesitated for a moment. "You've got a good eye too you know. Your photos are… honest." With that final sentence, she rose to her feet and left, leaving Max sat alone on the lip of the fountain.

It was a while before she left.

When she returned to the dorm, she found Chloe had made herself at home. So at home, in fact, that her tank top had emigrated from her torso to the floor, leaving her lounging around on Max's bed in a pair of panties and nothing else.

"Really?" Max said, gesturing to the discarded tank top.

"What? You were taking a while so I got comfortable." Chloe grinned.

Max raised one of her eyebrows. She was getting really rather good at that by now. "And getting comfortable meant getting naked?"

Chloe shrugged. "I'm wearing panties."

"You're incorrigible." Max sighed.

"Thanks." Chloe grinned.

Max flopped down on the bed and poked Chloe in the ribs, making her squeak in protest. "It wasn't a compliment." She teased.

"I know." Chloe replied. She rubbed the spot on her ribs Max had poked, pouting a little bit. "Anyway, how'd it go with Bitchimus Prime?" She asked, rolling onto her back and resting her head on her hands.

Max fixed her with a smile. "She apologised."

Chloe's eyes went wide. She sat bolt upright, her mouth hanging open in shock. "She fucking _what?!"_

Max smiled again. "I know, right? I got there, and we talked, and she practically cried her eyes out on me. I'm not gonna repeat exactly what she said, because I don't think she'd want me to, but turns out she's human, and hella vulnerable. Honestly, I think – I think we might even be friends someday."

Chloe whistled and lay back down. "Well fuck me running." She said. "That's literally the last thing I expected. Maybe she's not so bad." She grimaced. "I can't believe I just said that."

"You're not the only one." Max lay down with her, and after resting her head on Chloe's chest, let out a long sigh.

The punk squirmed. "That tickles!"

"It's your fault for not wearing anything." Came the reply.

"Meh. You love it when I'm practically naked." Chloe teased. She wound her fingers into Max's hair and began stroking her scalp.

"Never said I didn't." Max whispered. She raised her head and claimed Chloe's lips.

Chloe kissed back with vigour. She slid her tongue past Max's lips, and the two began to battle for dominance. She felt Max's hand run up her side until it was cupping her breast, where she palmed it pleasurably.

Chloe responded in kind, wrapping her arms around her lover, she engaged her core muscles and flipped them, where she came to rest on top of Max, pinning her down. She worked her thigh between her girlfriend's, levering Max's legs apart until she was resting comfortably in between them. She wasted no time in leaning down and reclaiming Max's lips, which Max seemed only too happy about.

Chloe shifted her weight onto one hand, and brought the other to the buttons of Max's shirt, silently thanking herself for the ability to undo them one handed. It still took far too long for her liking, and when the last button finally came undone, she flung the shirt open eagerly.

Max reacted just as enthusiastically, arching her back and thrusting herself upward until they were skin to skin. She tried to maneuver her hand into the waistband of Chloe's panties, but a hand stopped hers centimetres from her prize.

"Now now." Chloe breathed. "I'm in control here: I decide what happens next."

Max let her head tip back, exposing her neck. "You're in control." She repeated, her voice laced with desire.

"Glad you agree." Chloe said, and attacked Max's throat with her lips and tongue, leaving a wet trail as she kissed and sucked her way down to Max's chest. Once she was there, she pushed her bra up and out of the way, and claimed Max's newly exposed breasts with fingers, teeth, tongue and lips.

Max found it impossible not to moan, her breath leaving her body in ragged gasps.

Chloe grinned up at her, and continued downwards. Her hands had just begun to undo the button of Max's jeans when she was interrupted by an earth-shattering rumble erupting from Max's stomach.

Max's eyes snapped open, and she looked down, mortified at her own body's betrayal.

Chloe tried valiantly to keep a straight face, which lasted all of precisely three seconds before she broke and began bawling with laughter. The laughter proved infectious, and before long Max had joined in, unable to help herself.

After a while, the laughter turned into giggles, and the giggles into quickened breathing. A comfortable silence fell as the two young women stared into each other's eyes, grins on both of their faces.

"So." Chloe said. "Breakfast?"

Max nodded. "Breakfast."

 **Author's note:** Well, that ends our little mini-trilogy of chapters. I enjoyed writing it, and I hope you've all enjoyed reading it. Though rest assured I'm definitely picking up the dangling plot threads left over from this, I enjoy writing Kate and Victoria, so expect them to show up in the future.

The next chapter is going to be shorter, maybe (though I seem to be incapable of writing chapters under 2500 words now). It's also gonna be returning to just pure Max and Chloe fluff, which I feel I've gotten a little sidetracked from. Peace out, and I'll see you guys in a week or so.


	13. Flashes

_**Flashes**_

 _White teeth and red lips,_

 _Drawn wide in a smile so bright and enticing,_

 _Bottled in time to try and stave away the inevitable and,_

 _Save from memories so fallible and so prone to fading,_

 _The mind is the enemy she says, and she wants to,_

 _Preserve what's there,_

 _To immortalize,_

 _To capture,_

 _The blue everywhere, her hair so enrapturing,_

 _The bright colours written so boldly in inked skin,_

 _A story of her own told by flesh to express,_

 _How rare she is, how improbable her light shines_

 _On in the night, like the flash of a polaroid,_

 _Which is why she must,_

 _And she will,_

 _And she is,_

 _And she has been forever,_

 _Saving from time the butterfly bound,_

 _To her heart, soul and mind,_

 _Who could be_

 _Gone in a flash,_

 _Who almost was so suddenly winked from_

 _A life rife with undeserved suffering,_

 _But Time was a river she shaped to her liking,_

 _And the flash once so final and flanked_

 _By roaring and the smell of cordite so awful,_

 _And the terrible pain born from an act,_

 _That is vanished and spurned from the river so entirely,_

 _And now the flash is but a bulb in the night,_

 _Causing pupils to dilate and spots to swim,_

 _In their eyes so full of the love shared within and_

 _Expressed so freely and fully, without shame,_

 _And when the night ends and dawn comes,_

 _Over and hundreds of times over again,_

 _She rests safely knowing the butterfly,_

 _Will be there without a doubt,_

 _With her smile and blue hair,_

 _And tattoos so familiar,_

 _Rendered so lovingly eternal,_

 _By the evanescent flash,_

 _Of a simple,_

 _Polaroid camera_

 **Author's Note:** Guys, I'm hella sorry for making you wait this long for an update, and the update being a lame attempt at poetry at that (which I confess I know almost nothing about). I don't want to burden you guys with my troubles when you're here to read stuff you enjoy, but I currently have a number of things going in my personal life that are both stressful and time consuming. So that combined with some ongoing depression (yup, that old chestnut), means I just haven't had the motivation to write anything. Which sucks, because I love writing for everyone here.

So please forgive me, but updates will probably slow down, maybe to only once a month (though I do have a couple of chapters I'm determined to have out by the end of June), so I can focus on getting shit done. Peace out, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter at least a tiny bit.


	14. Dyeing for Your Art

**Dyeing for Your Art**

 **Author's Note:** Blah blah disclaimer blah.

Though seriously, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I have no idea how I wrote so much about hair dye. What is wrong with me.

" _Other mid-nineteenth-century photographers established the medium as a more precise means than engraving or lithography of making a record of landscapes and architecture: for example, Robert Macpherson's broad range of photographs of Rome, the interior of the Vatican, and the surrounding countryside became a sophisticated tourist's visual record of his own travels."_

Max paused at the end of the paragraph and reached for her highlighter. She outlined the relevant sections of the text in bright, fluorescent yellow, and attempted to burn the information into her brain. But, try as she might, she couldn't concentrate. Frustrated, she rolled onto her back, squirming a little when a few blades of grass tickled the skin of her upper arms and shoulders that wasn't covered by the straps of her tank top. She sighed heavily, and squinted up at the harsh, unforgivingly bright sun.

A heatwave had, for the last few days, held Arcadia Bay in a merciless, unrelenting grip. Day after day of sticky, cloying heat had taken a heavy toll on the residents of the Bay, and in particular on the student of Blackwell Academy who, as sheer misfortune would have it, were right in the middle of exams season. Unfortunately, and to the complaints of many, the AC in the dorms had only made it a single day into the heatwave before giving up the metaphorical ghost. Such dire circumstances had cause a daily mass exodus of almost every student to the Academy grounds where, desperate to escape the insufferable heat of the dorms, any spot of decent shade was fiercely coveted.

Unfortunately for Max, she had once again missed out on a shady spot, leaving her to lie in the unblinking fury of the sun. Hence, her total lack of concentration. She closed her eyes and tried to force herself to mental run through the information she'd been trying to take in. After a few seconds, she admitted defeat, recognising she wasn't going to get any work done in her current state.

 _God, if I was a guy I'd give my left nut for a distraction right now. Literally anything would do._ Her inner voice complained.

Little did she know, on that day, the fates were feeling generous.

Even with her eyes closed, it was easy to tell something was looming over her, so much so whatever it was had blocked out the sun. She grumbled internally and opened her eyes, fully intending to demand who had the audacity to disturb her faux-existentialist wallowing. Instead, she was greeted by the upside down, carefree grin of (who other?) Chloe.

"'Sup buttdick." She said. "Nice shorts." She continued, casting an appreciative eye over Max's legs, which were bare to the mid thigh, where they met the hem of her denim shorts.

"Chloe? What're you-"

"I'm here to free you from your lame-ass study prison. Now get your adorable hipster butt up and into my truck." Without waiting for a reply, she bent down and grabbed Max's arm, ready to haul her up.

"But... study..." Max protested meekly, even as she allowed herself to be pulled to her feet.

"But nothin'." Chloe responded, practically escorting Max to her truck. She opened the door and bundled the brunette in, making sure none of her weakly flailing limbs caught on anything. She circled around the hood and opened her own door, sliding smoothly into the seat with the practised motion of someone who had done so thousands of times before.

"Chlo, I appreciate you being my punk in shining armour, but I really gotta study." Max said. She made to open the door, but was stopped by Chloe's hand on her arm. She turned towards the punk, to find her giving her an exceedingly pointed look.

"Max. I'm telling you. You need a break. You've been holed up here for days. I've barely seen you and you've obviously been feeling miserable as shit in this fucking heat. And I know that's what you've been doing, as you haven't replied to any of the gazillion texts I sent you. So yeah, I'm breaking you out of this shit, just for a day, so we can do something rebellious. Something _fun._ "

Max should've known. Chloe had a plan, and she obviously wasn't oing to get out of whatever it was she had cooked up. "Alright, Little Miss Rebel. What's your idea of fun?"

Another grin was sent her way. "We're gonna dye your hair."

"What?!" Max was momentarily shocked. "Chloe, I can't dye my hair! My parents would _flip their freaking shit!"_

Chloe raised an incredibly skeptical eyebrow. "What, so you're telling me they're totes fine with their daughter being regularly eaten out by another chick, but they'd lose their shit over your hair not being all normal and brown?"

Max nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, fuck that. Max, dude, you're eighteen. You can afford to express yourself a little more without the fear of parental wrath. And if they do freak, just blame it all on me. I mean, I _am_ the one doing the persuading here."

Max considered Chloe's logic. It was true she wanted to express herself a little more, and she had always been envious of Chloe's appearance and _laissez-faire_ attitude towards other people's opinions. _Why shouldn't you do something kinda rebellious?_ A little voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like Chloe whispered. _You deserve something nice. You only live once, after all._

"Alright." Max found herself saying. "Why the hell not?"

Chloe beamed at her, and gunned the engine. "There's my Super Max! C'mon, we're gonna unleash your punk spirit!" She slipped the truck into gear and peeled off into the road, driving a little too quickly and recklessly to be called safe. They drove into town, with the windows rolled down and music blasting the entire way. Chloe was particularly enthusiastic with her singing along, which earned them some odd looks at traffic lights. Max was content to sit in relative silence, with the wind flowing through her hair, and smiling at Chloe whenever she looked her way.

Soon enough, they pulled into the parking lot of Arcadia Bay's equivalent of a Wal-Mart. Chloe killed the engine, and they stepped out of the sweltering heat, both of them already missing the cool wind generated from travelling. Even though it was only a short walk from the truck to the entrance, the two women were sweating by the time they entered the building. A wave of delicious relief washed over them as they entered; the AC was obviously on full blast.

"Uhhhh holy fuck that's good." Max moaned, sounding practically orgasmic.

"Goddamn, this is better than sex." Chloe agreed.

Max shot her a look.

"Well, almost." Chloe hastily back-pedalled.

Satisfied, Max headed to the hair products aisle. She stopped in front of a vast selection of hair colours, momentarily stumped by the wide range of choice on offer.

"So, what'cha gonna go for?" Chloe asked, hugging Max's arm.

Max continued to scan the shelves, with nothing in particular jumping out at her. "Dunno yet. Nothing's doing it for me so far. Suppose I'll know when I see it."

Chloe nodded, and went to pick up a couple of boxes of her own hair dye.

Max bit her lip. There had to be something here she would want to – _There!_ She crouched down and picked a box up from the very bottom of the shelf. The model on the front was showing off an aggressively angular bob cut, which was a pale, almost whispy pink in colour. Max's free hand went to her hair. Her own style was vaguely similar, though nowhere near as well maintained as the model's. But it was the colour she was in love with. _Pink will go nice with Chloe's blue_ she thought.

She stood up, and almost collided with Chloe, who had been peering over her shoulder, having found her own colour almost instantly.

" _Niiiiice._ " She said. "That's hella gonna suit you. C'mon, let's go pay and get back to mine. I wanna see how you look with bright pink hair!" She snatched the box out of Max's hands, and almost skipped to the check out, where she surprised Max by paying for everything. When Max attempted to give her money for the hair dye, Chloe almost shushed her into the ground.

"You pay for shit-tons of stuff. I'm paying for this, no buts!" Was all it took to settle any counter-arguments Max might have had.

Chloe's excitement seemed to bleed into her driving, as the trip to her house took almost no time at all. She practically bounced into the house, followed by Max, who was privately giggling at her girlfriend's boundless enthusiasm. As soon as the front door was shut, Chloe whipped off her tank top and threw it unceremoniously in the general direction of the washing machine.

She turned to Max. "Shirt off. It's better if you're not wearing too much when we put the dye on, because that shit never comes out of clothes. And also it's hella hot, so clothes suck anyway." As if to prove the point, she unbuckled her jeans and let them fall to the floor. "Don't worry, it's gonna be just us for a few hours." She said, noticing the look of caution on Max's face.

"If you say so." Max shrugged. She peeled off her own tank and wriggled out of her shorts, leaving her in her bra and panties. Chloe had elected to forego a bra for that day, which caused some interesting jiggling as she bounded up the stairs.

Once they were settled in her room, Chloe wasted no time in opening the box and preparing all the necessary application equipment. "Alright, you've never done this before, so we're gonna need to do an allergy test, y'know, just to make sure your hair isn't gonna fall out or anything."

Max nodded.

"The instructions say to leave it for twenty fours hours, but honestly you can usually tell within a few minutes, so that's what we're doing." Chloe continued. She put one of the plastic gloves on and dabbed a tiny bit of the mixture onto her index finger. "Hold out your arm." She ordered.

Max did so, and Chloe smeared the blob onto the inside of her elbow, creating a pale patch roughly the size of a dime. A few minutes went by, with Chloe staring at the patch intensely.

"Well, it looks fine. Any itching or burning?" She asked.

Max shook her head. "I don't think so. I mean, it's a little tingly, but I can barely feel it."

Chloe grinned. "Looks like we're good to go!" She slid the other glove on, and prepared the rest of the dye. "You want it just on certain bits, or do we do all of it?" She asked.

Max thought for a few seconds. "Might as well dye all of it." She gestured to the dye kit. "Go nuts!"

The grin grew wider. "Yessir!"

She moved to sit behind Max, and began to apply the dye, starting with the roots of her hair.

"Fuck, that's cold!" Max complained, forcing herself to stay still.

Chloe grimaced in apology, even though Max couldn't see it. "Oh, yeah. Guess I shoulda told you about that." She placed a kiss on Max's shoulder, being careful to avoid the dye.

The next few minutes were filled with with intense concentration on Chloe's part, as she tried not to get any dye on any parts of Max that didn't need it. She was mostly successful, with only a couple of spots ending up on her neck. Max, meanwhile, was resisting the urge to squirm as blob after blob of cold hair dye was applied to her head.

Eventually, Chloe leaned back, satisfied she had covered every single strand of hair with the dye. "We're done for now." She said.

Max shivered. "So what now, rinse it off?"

Chloe shook her head. "Nah. It needs some time to set in, so the rinsing will come in-" She checked her phone, "About thirty five minutes."

"Awh, but I'll be hella bored." Max pouted. "What are we meant to do for that long, just sit here?"

Chloe shrugged. "We could get high? Just kidding." She added hastily when Max cast a withering look her way.

The couple lapsed into silence, neither knew what to suggest, until Max perked up. "Oh, we should take a photo! Like a "before" thing."

"Hella yes! Good idea, Max."

Max leaned over and grabbed her bag, rooting through it until she found her Polaroid. She sat back on the bed and pointed it at herself, careful to angle the camera to obscure anything compromising.

"Photobomb!" Chloe interrupted, sliding into frame behind Max's right shoulder and throwing up the peace sign.

Max chuckled, and depressed the shutter button. The flash went off, and a few seconds later the camera whirred, and ejected the photo. Max took it and, more out of habit than anything else, shook it a few times.

Even though, in the photo, her hair was a mess and covered in pink goop, and her and Chloe were both obviously in a state of undress, Max couldn't help but love it.

"Classic us." She said, showing Chloe the photo.

"Classic us." She agreed. The two kissed, with Chloe having to crane her neck at a slightly awkward angle to avoid getting any dye on her.

Some time later, Chloe glanced at her phone and said "Alright, that should be enough. Go rinse off in the shower, then we'll see how it's turned out. Though if I was a bettin' girl, I'd say we're in for a treat."

She fished a small tube out of the discarded box. "Use this, it's conditioner. It'll help seal the colour in."

Max took it and nodded. "Sounds simple enough."

Chloe squeezed her hand. "Think you'll be OK in there without me?"

"Yeah, I think so." Max replied. She got up off the bed and made for the bathroom, picking up a towel on her way. She threw a wink Chloe's way, and slipped out of the door.

Once she was in the bathroom, she placed the conditioner on the side and turned the shower on. She gave it some time to reach an acceptable temperature, and once it had, quickly slipped out of her bra and panties.

She got into the shower, and let out a satisfied sigh as the warm water hit her skin. After half a minute or so of enjoying the warmth, she pivoted so her back was facing the water, and prepared to rinse off her hair. __How hard can it be__? She thought.

" _ _Chloeeeeeee__!" Came the high pitched, hysterical sounding cry.

The object of the call dropped her phone on the bed and scrambled off of it, racing for the door. What had Max managed to do in under five minutes?

She burst into the bathroom, and was stopped completely short by the sight that greeted her. A naked, hysterical Max, the entire shower, and quite a few of the surrounding tiles were utterly covered with splatters and rivulets of pink hair dye.

Max's eyes were closed and her face screwed up in a terror-stricken grimace. She was also emitting a constant series of high pitched noises. Chloe couldn't think of any other word for it than mewling. To top it all off, Max was covered, head-to-toe in the excess dye, giving her the complexion of a hipster flamingo.

"Max? What? How the- what the actual fuck?" Chloe spluttered, almost at a loss for words.

"I'm sorry!" Max bawled. "It was fine and rinsing off and then it started going everywhere and I panicked because there was so much of it and then it got on the walls and that made me freak out more and then it went in my eyes and I couldn't see!" She blindly felt around for Chloe. "Please don't be mad." She added in a small voice.

Chloe rolled her eyes affectionately, and reached for the towel. She brought it up to Max's face and gently wiped away the dye. "Of course I'm not mad." She said when Max opened her eyes. "You're just an idiot." She joked.

Max pouted, her eyes saying she didn't think it was a joke.

"Oh Max, sweetie I didn't- gimme a second." She said. She hastily stripped off her underwear and clambered into the shower, joining Max under the water. "Think you can put your head back for me?" She asked.

Max hesitated, then tentatively nodded. She closed her eyes and tipped her head back, and a second later felt Chloe's hands wind their way into her hair.

Chloe began to massage and lather, working the conditioner in deeply. In no time at all, Max could be seen to visibly relax, and soon she was completely calm, trusting Chloe to do her work.

She felt something rough on her forehead, and realised Chloe must be sponging away the last of the dye. The scrubbing sensation felt good, and Max sighed in appreciation.

"There we go, all done." Chloe said. She pressed herself up against Max, relishing the feeling of wet flesh on her own. She kissed the smaller woman, and felt her utterly melt into her embrace. The kiss wasn't heated, but slow and loving. Neither of them felt any urge to go any further; both of them simply happy to hold each other close and enjoy the warmth of the shower, and the additional comfort of each other's skin.

Or, at least, they were until Chloe trailed her hand down Max's back, paused just as she arrived at Max's ass, and then gave it a quick slap.

Max broke away from the kiss. "Really?" She said.

Chloe smirked. "Yep. Now come and finish up, I wanna see what your hair looks like."

A few minutes later, the both of them were wrapped in towels, safely ensconced within the privacy of Chloe's room. Max's hair was hidden from view, wound up in another towel. She sat down on the bed and unwrapped her hair, shaking out a few loose water droplets. "So how's it look?"

Chloe shook her head. "Uh-uh, I'm not telling you yet. We gotta get it dry first." She brandished a hairdryer and sat down behind Max, before getting to work. For the next few minutes, the room was filled with the noise of the hairdryer as Chloe carefully made sure every last bit was dry. As she was doing so, she ran a hairbrush through the strands, untangling any knots she found.

When she was done, she shut the hairdryer off, sat back, and whistled. "Damn Max, you look hella fine."

Max perked up. "Really?"

Chloe gestured to the mirror. "Go see for yourself."

After kissing Chloe swiftly on the cheek, Max approached the mirror, not without a hint of trepidation. She took a breath, and stepped in front of the glass. It was a good thing she had breathed in beforehand, as what she saw made her gasp.

Her hair was a shining, iridescent pale pink, not unlike the colour of bubblegum, but slightly lighter. It wasn't quite the colour the model had been displaying, perhaps a shade or two darker because of her naturally brown hair, but Max found she didn't care. She ran a hand through it, admiring the way the different strands caught and reflected the light. She shook her head vigorously back and forth, and for just a moment her entire head was encased in a shimmering pink halo."Wowser…" She whispered. She felt Chloe slip her arms around her shoulders, and a kiss was planted on top of her head.

"So, what'cha think?"

"Chlo… I love it. And I love __you__ for getting me to do this." She turned in Chloe's arms until they were facing one another.

Chloe was beaming at her. "Chloe do good?"

Max nodded. "Chloe do __very__ good." She leaned forward and captured Chloe's soft, waiting lips.

Chloe hummed, and kissed back with vigour. She caught Max's lower lip between her teeth, and gave it a quick nip. Usually, that would draw a squeak from the smaller woman, but instead, Max bit back, and pushed Chloe towards the bed. While Chloe was distracted by Max's counterattack, the former brunette's hands made quick, nimble work of Chloe's towel. It dropped to the floor, followed within seconds by Max's own. If Chloe noticed, she didn't protest.

Their legs hit the foot of the bed, causing them to lose their balance and topple over. They landed on the mattress with a soft __whump__ , Chloe on the bottom, and Max on top, straddling her hips.

Chloe broke the kiss, and grinned. "Hey, you wanna see what happens – __uhh, fuck__ \- when you - __don't stop__ \- mix pink and blue together?"

Max didn't bother responding, and continued to suck on Chloe's pulse point.

Soon enough, the bedroom, cast in a pale red light from the sun filtering through the curtains, was filled with nothing but sighs.

 **Author's Note:** So I've actually felt productive this week, hence the two chapters. Well, sort of two. I don't know if the previous one counts, but at least it gave me the motivation to write this one.

And yes, Max will be keeping her new hair colour for the foreseeable future :)

Also, the hysterical naked girlfriend crying and covered in hair dye? That may or may not be based on true life experiences. Maybe. I'm not telling. Anyways, see you next time. Peace out.


	15. Pride

**Author's note:** This chapter is so fuckin' gay. N-no, like, in a good way.

Disclaimer: I wonder at what point the fandom actually owns something, rather than the creators?

 **Pride**

Max yawned, and glanced at her phone. The display cheerfully informed her it was six thirty in the morning. She sighed, and tried to stifle another yawn. She was only partially successful. "C'mon, Chlo. You were meant to be here by now." She complained to herself. She was sat on Blackwell's front steps, gazing at a sunrise she probably should have been appreciating more. She was waiting for Chloe to come pick her up, and as always, Chloe couldn't keep to a time to save her life.

She heard the sounds of a heavy diesel engine approaching, and looked up to see Chloe's truck careening towards her. It pulled up sharply, and Chloe practically bounced up of the door, almost visibly vibrating with excitement.

Max raised an eyebrow. "You're late."

Chloe raised one back. "Chloe Price is never late, Maxine Caulfield. Nor is she early. She arrives precisely when she means to."

Max was flabbergasted. "Did- did you just-?"

A grin that almost seemed to twinkle spread itself across Chloe's face. "Yup." She said. She paused, and then sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. "I'm just kidding. I almost forgot to pack a super hella important thing. Hence the lateness."

There was something in her voice that woke Max's curiosity. "So what makes this thing so super hella important that it made you late?"

Chloe stuck her tongue out. "Can't tell you, it's a surprise for later." She winked for added effect.

Max shrugged. "Suit yourself." She noticed Chloe still seemed to be vibrating. "You OK? You look kinda buzzed."

Chloe grinned again, and Max then knew what she'd done. "I pounded like six energy drinks. Girl's gotta get pumped for driving."

"Oh god, not again." Max mumbled.

"What?" Chloe protested. "It's like a two and a half hour drive to Portland, and we both barely got any sleep last night."

She had a point, Max reflected. They had stayed up most of the night, exchanging texts mostly concerned around how excited they were. Of course, as the night wore one, the texts had become a little raunchy, as they were wont to do. She almost flushed as a particularly memorable selfie Chloe had sent her swam to the surface of her mind. She unlocked her phone and accessed the most recent images. She bit her lip, staring at the picture of Chloe gazing up at the camera, her hair mussed and face sporting an almost agonised expression, and the angle of her arms pressing her sweat-slicked breasts together in what Max thought was a very enticing way. The hand not holding the phone wasn't visible, as it dipped below the bottom edge of the frame, but Max knew exactly what it was doing. She put her phone away, and looked up to see Chloe smirking at her.

"You all good there?" She asked, with a twinkle in her eye.

Max had to clear her throat before she could reply. "Y-yeah."

"Good. You got everything?" She nodded at Max's bag, sat beside her on the steps.

"Yeah." Max managed to say, clearer this time.

"Cool. Sling it in the front, and then we can blow this joint."

Max did so, and before long the couple were cruising along the road out of Arcadia Bay, with one of Chloe's mix CD's playing softly on the stereo, and the early morning sun shining thinly through the pine trees that seemed to be so ubiquitous to the North West.

Soon enough, the duo had cleared the Bay and found themselves on a long, straight stretch of highway. Chloe's hand had been idle on the shifter for a couple of minutes, when she felt Max's hand lay itself over her own. She looked over and found Max giving an expression so full of different emotions that she couldn't find a word to describe it. There was love in there, along with happiness, elation, sadness and something uniquely Max.

"I'm so happy we're finally doing this." Max said.

"Me too." Chloe replied.

The couple grinned at each other, and lapsed into a comfortable silence. Nothing needed to be said.

A while later, Chloe glanced over at Max, and saw she had fallen asleep, her head lolling back onto the headrest. She chuckled quietly, and turned her attention back to the road.

A sudden bump in the road woke Max instantly, just as it sent her phone flying into Chloe's section, where it clattered on the floor.

"Aw shit, sorry Max." She felt around with her feet. "I think it might've gone under the seat."

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure I can find it." Max said. She leaned over, being careful to avoid the shifter and handbrake, and thrust her hand down into the floor space between Chloe's legs. "Damn it!" She cursed, after a minute of fruitless fumbling. "I think you might be right. Hang on." She said, and shifted over further. The movement gave her more reach, but also meant her face was practically nestled into Chloe's crotch.

Chloe looked down. "Man, if I had a dick right now."

Max cast a flirtatious look upwards as best she could. "You know if you did, I'd give you the best damn head you'd ever have in your life. You know what my tongue can do."

"Damn right I know." Chloe readily agreed.

It was at that moment the sound of a car horn came from their left. Chloe looked, and saw a convertible filled with four dude-bros, all with popped collars on their expensive polo shirts, and enough hair product between them to fill half a drug store. They were all staring at her, making window rolling motions.

"Stay down." Chloe said to Max, and, against her better judgement, she rolled down the window.

Immediately, the dude-bro in the front passenger seat cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled "Hey baby, c'mon and show us your tits!"

Chloe snarled. "Fuck off, shit-for-brains, or I'mma shove your sexist bullshit so far up your bleached asshole it'll come back out your mouth as feminism."

The dude-bros actually had the gall to look affronted by this. "Chill the fuck out, bitch!" One of them yelled. "I thought you punk chicks were all supposed to be sluts!" Another said.

It was at that moment they hit another bump in the road, causing Max's head to bob up into view, and back down again, in the exact motion someone would be going through when giving road head.

Instantly, the dude-bros looked confused. "What the fuck?" One of them said.

Chloe winked at them, and for added measure, brought her hand to her mouth and performed the universal blowjob gesture.

The dude-bros looked disgusted, and gunned the accelerator, speeding off in a wanton violation of the speed limit.

Chloe laughed, and closed the window.

"Chloe, what the hell just happened?" Max said, having located her errant phone and moved back into her seat.

Chloe explained.

Five minutes later, Max hadn't stopped laughing. "O-oh man, I can't believe they thought you had a dick! Oh god, I can't breathe."

Chloe couldn't help but laugh herself. "I know, right? The look on their confused little faces was priceless." She paused. "No pun intended."

In-between giggles, Max said "I love you."

Nothing made Chloe light up like those three words. "I love you too."

"PORTLAND! WE ARE HELLA IN YOU! WHAT IS EVEN UP?!" Chloe emerged triumphantly from her truck, arms held aloft, followed shortly by an already embarrassed, holding-her-head-in-her-hands Max. As she stepped out onto the kerb, she grabbed Chloe's arm and whispered in her ear.

"Do you have to do that? Literally everyone around is staring at us now." Max tried to hide behind her bangs while Chloe looked around to see that, indeed, every person in the immediate vicinity was regarding them, quite a few sporting some mightily confused expressions.

Chloe smirked. "Well, yeah. How else are peeps gonna know that Maxine Fucking Caulfield and her faithful sidekick are in town? We got reps to uphold; you as an awesome superhero and me as a hell-raising loveable scoundrel."

Max raised an eyebrow, her mouth a crooked half smile. "Scoundrel, huh? What, are you Han Solo instead of Gandalf now?"

Chloe grinned her (adorable, in Max's opinion) famous toothy grin and swept Max up into her arms. "Only if you'll be my Leia. Plus you'd look real fucking hot in a metal bikini." She peppered Max's face with kisses, causing an entire group of pretentious-looking hipsters to roll their eyes at the egregious display of public affection. Chloe noticed.

"Hey look, we're grossing out the hipsters. I call that a victory."

"Chloe, in case you hadn't noticed, you're dating a self-confessed hipster." Breaking away from the blue-nette, she hitched her hip out to the side and placed a hand upon it, as if to say _and what are you gonna do about it_?

Chloe tried and failed to come up with a response. She pouted. "Yeah, but, you're way cute for a hipster."

Max giggled. "Ooh, nice save, Miss Price." She took Chloe's arm and dragged her away from the crowds milling around. "C'mon, we've got a Pride to go kick ass at, Arcadia Bay-style."

She ran a hand through her still luminous pink hair, a section of her bangs had been temporarily (but proudly) dyed with rainbow colours especially for the occasion. Chloe kissed her on the cheek again. "Damn right we do, sista. But first, we need to find something to nosh on. My stomach is giving me the rumblies that only the finest of breakfasts will satisfy."

Max smiled and linked her elbow with the arm Chloe was proffering at her. "Lead the way, Chloe. Your gut's never steered us wrong before."

"I'm telling you, Max. I have a sixth sense for detecting hella tasty food. That's what happens when your Mom makes the best damn food in Arcadia Bay." The punk girl said, tapping her nose knowingly.

Fifteen minutes later, the two of them were sat outside a charmingly rustic cafe, munching on bagels filled with smoked salmon and lovingly smothered in cream cheese. All organic, naturally. Max was gazing idly out across the city, scanning for any photo opportunities. A passing couple, both male, seeing her rainbow coloured bangs, caught her eye and waved cheerfully. Max hesitantly smiled back, running her hand through her hair again out of habit. That earned her a wink from the taller of the two guys. She giggled.

Chloe looked up from devouring her bagel, and noticed Max's shy smile and the retreating couple. She raised an eyebrow and nudged her girlfriend's elbow.

"Hot damn, they're hella cute. Quick, get a photo of their asses while the view is still fresh."

Max swatted Chloe's hand away, which had been reaching for her prized instamatic camera. "Chloe Price, I am not gonna take a photo of two (admittedly adorable) gay dudes just so you can add it to your secret boy love porn folder. And yes, I found it. It wasn't hard (unlike the guys in it)." She said with a victorious smirk, noticing Chloe had gone beet red when her "collection" had been mentioned.

"Shut up I just have a small thing for cute guys doing sexy butt stuff ok?" Chloe mumbled in a small, defeated sounding voice, her gaze resolutely fixed on the table.

Max laughed and held her hand. "Your secret yaoi fetish is safe with me. And I'd be totally lying if I said I didn't find it... Interesting."

Chloe's head shot up, noticing two small pink spots appear on Max's cheeks. A devilish grin spread across her face as the implication clicked.

"Wait.. Dude, did you get yourself off to my gay porn collection? Holy shit you totally did, didn't you?" When Max failed to answer, instead biting her lip and looking anywhere but at her partner, Chloe threw back her head, laughing uproariously.

"Oh man, that's so hella cute. Seriously though, the thought of you doing that to yourself is so fucking hot."

Max rolled her eyes again, though she was secretly pleased with the flattery. "Simmer down, Price, we're in public."

"Tough shit. They can deal with it, especially today." And with that she leaned across the table, drawing Max into an aggressively heated kiss.

After a good half minute, Max pulled away, placing several lighter, quick kisses on Chloe's lips as she did so. "You got a point there. Speaking of, what time's the parade?"

Chloe glanced at her phone. "About twenty minutes. We should probably hustle if we wanna catch it."

Max shoved the last bit of her bagel into her mouth and licked an errant blob of cream cheese off her thumb. "Let's go."

Precisely seventeen minutes later, Max and Chloe found themselves in the middle of a lively throng of several thousand people. Colours were everywhere, the most prominent of which being the rainbows being proudly displayed in almost every way possible. Flags were being waved high in the air, rainbows were painted on many hundreds of smiling, eager faces and colourful outfits abounded. Monument Square was a veritable cornucopia of buzzing activity, and the Blackwell Ninjas found themselves right in the middle of it.

"Holy shit, Max, are you seeing all of this? This is awesome!" Beamed Chloe, trying to take in everything at once. It was a sea of the best kind of multiculturalism, and the duo were loving it.

"I know, Chloe. This is amazing, just look at everyone, and the colours … I want to take a photo of literally everything here!" True to form, Max was snapping a picture as often as her camera would let her. She felt Chloe slide her arms over her shoulders, draping them over her neck.

"So, that surprise I mentioned. You can have it now." Chloe whispered into her ear.

Max reached up and grabbed the blue-nette's hand. "I'd entirely forgotten about that. I'd say you shouldn't have, but I like surprises too much. Gimme!"

Chloe laughed and let go of Max, reaching down to her bag. "Don't thank me until you see it sweetie. Let me just … hang on, fucking bag clip … Aha!" She said, momentarily foiled by the clip. Opening the bag, she reached in and drew out two bundled up shirts, one in electric blue with no sleeves, and the other a soft pink. They obviously had been made to order, as the colours matched their respective hair exactly.

"Ta-da!" She proclaimed, letting them both unfurl in front of Max. On the shirt meant for Max, in bold, white letters, were the immortal words: " _ **I'm Maxine Fucking Caulfield**_ _._ "

Chloe's, in equally prominent lettering, proudly proclaimed " _ **I'm Fucking Maxine Caulfield**_ _."_

Max's jaw dropped.

"So, whaddya think?" Chloe asked, her grin threatening to split her face in half. "Cool, huh?"

"I think my brain just melted and dribbled out of my ears. Can we even wear these? I mean, it's being kinda … open."

"Max, look around you. No one's gonna give a shit. Just look at that guy." She pointed at a man wearing exceedingly little and covered from head to toe in golden body paint and glitter. "Listen. Max. It makes me proud beyond words that I get to call you mine, and I figured this is the one place I can show off just how much you mean to me."

She held the shirt out to Max.

"Now come on, sista, don't make me look like a total dork here by making me wear mine on my own."

Max rolled her eyes, though she couldn't hide a smile, and took the proffered shirt. Chloe beamed at her, and, uncaring about the many people around her, whipped off her tank top. Max couldn't help but let her eyes trail across Chloe's semi naked torso as she slipped the shirt over her head. Chloe winked at her, knowing that Max had been looking. Max smiled back, and proceeded to change into her own shirt, though she was conscious to cover herself a little more.

Moments after she'd pulled it on, a loud cheer erupted as the crowd began to move out from Monument Square along Congress Street. The couple looked at each other, linked arms, and followed the gently rolling wave of people.

Max would later remember the parade as a series of static images, almost like a series of photographs: a young boy cheerfully throwing confetti over everyone he could reach. A polyamorous group consisting of a woman and two men laughing as they gave their children shoulder rides. A lesbian couple with faces smooshed up against each other, taking selfies. A hoop performer with a dazzling smile, fully decked out in rainbow clothes, performing for a cheering crowd. A large group of people who, after spotting Max and Chloe's shirts, whooped and applauded them. A few of the group even insisted on high fiving the both of them. Chloe ate the attention up, while Max silently wished the ground would eat her alive.

Max was pretty sure she even saw someone literally floating with happiness, even though Chloe would later insist that never happened, and blamed it on a questionable brownie a hippie looking woman had given them. Max though, secretly liked to believe it had actually happened.

A few hours later, the happy couple sat exhausted in a park, surrounded by a sea of people enjoying the remainder of the day. The two sat in silence, Max's head resting on Chloe's shoulder. The sun was rapidly setting, throwing long shadows across the park and the people milling around, lending the scene a painterly, almost surreal air.

"Y'know, this day's been pretty much perfect." Max said, sporting a dreamy smile and gazing into the distance.

"You really think so?" Replied her lover.

"Hella." Max smiled up at Chloe. She smiled back, and the two women kissed. In the light of the setting sun, blue hair mixed with pink, and for just a moment, the silhouette of their heads formed a two-coloured heart. The kiss ended, and another comfortable silence enveloped the two. After a while, during which the sun dipped even lower, it was eventually broken by Max.

"So, we're coming next year, right?"

Chloe grinned, and drew her girlfriend close.

"Hella."

 **Author's note:** I know, I know, two chapters in a day. Truth is, I've had this one sitting on my hard drive for months, and it only really occurred to me to finish re-writing it a couple of days ago, as I really wanted to do something to honour Pride Month, which is a subject very close to my heart.

Oh, if the bit with the dude-bros was kinda blunt, I'll admit to that being pure wish fulfillment on my part. I often want to say things like Chloe's dialogue back to them, but I'm kinda introverted and hate confrontation, if you couldn't tell already.

Anyway, in the spirit of the month and this chapter, I just want to say I love each and every one of you. You're all hella awesome. That said, I'm gonna be taking a break from this for a while. I think the creative juices need to recharge for a bit (not like that you sick fuck's), as I'm fresh out of ideas. Peace out.

ADDENDUM: almost forgot to say, the bit with the shirts is based on an illustration by Dylan B. Caleho at post/126615143177/clenches-fist-pricefield-is-very-fucking. I really hope I'm crediting that right.


	16. Partings

**Author's Note:** WUBBA LUBBA DUB DUB, I'm back! Now I know you don't wanna read a bunch of shit before the chapter, so I'mma put all that at the end. See you in 3500 words or so.

 **Partings**

"Do you have to go?" Chloe mumbled. She was sat on Max's bed, with her arms wrapped around her knees as she watched her partner potter around the bedroom, frequently pausing to pick something up and throw it into one of the two suitcases on the floor.

Max turned to face her, and the look on Chloe's face almost broke her heart. She dropped the pile of books she was holding into the nearest suitcase, and clambered onto the bed. She settled down next to her, and took the taller woman into her arms.

Chloe nuzzled into the embrace, gripping Max as if she was never going to see her again. Max laid a kiss on her head, and rested her cheek against the blue hair she loved so much. The two of them spent a while like that; simply holding each other, expressing what couldn't be said with something as simple as words.

"I'm not abandoning you, okay?" Max said, breaking the silence. "It's only for six weeks, and I promise I'll talk to you every day."

When Chloe remained silent, Max sighed and held her closer. "Chlo… as much as I'd love to spend the rest of the summer here, with you, I think my parents deserve to have me at home. And hey, I'll be back before you know it! Plus, think of how much you can get high without me around to nag you, or to remind you to put a dollar in the swear jar when you curse around your mom."

The corners of Chloe's lips twitched, and Max knew she'd gotten through.

Chloe looked up and met Max's eyes. A frisson of her usual fire had forged its way back into her expression, and she grabbed the back of Max's head, bringing her in for a deep, slow kiss. When they parted, Max caught Chloe's lower lip between her teeth, drawing a small groan from her partner.

Chloe sighed, and closed her eyes. "Dude, honestly, I think I'm gonna be more concerned with not getting any for six weeks," she joked. She brought a hand up, and wiggled her fingers. "Pretty sure my fingers here are gonna be permanently pruned by the time you get back."

Max giggled, and made a face. "It's always about the sex with you isn't it?" She teased.

Chloe raised an eyebrow, an incredulous grin on her face. "If you've gotta ask that, do you even know me?" The question was rhetorical, but Max decided to answer it anyway.

She leaned in, brushing her lips against Chloe's earlobe. "Intimately." She whispered, making sure her breath hit the exact right spot.

Chloe purred, and lightly nipped the skin just under Max's jaw. She drew back, a lascivious smile on her lips. "Damn right you do. But I think I know you better, if we're talking about sex." She grinned, knowing Max would be unable to resist the blatant challenge. She was right, of course.

"What? Bullshit!" Max protested. She was about to say more, but Chloe placed a finger on Max's lips, stilling anything she might have said.

Chloe held up that same finger to let Max know interruptions would not be tolerated, and began. "You have a hella sensitive weak spot right next to your jugular. You love being scratched, especially when we're making love. Having your hair pulled is a huge turn-on, too. You make a little mewling sound when you really need a good fuck that's totes irresistible. Also, when you're hugely turned on you go into dom mode (and holy fuck that's hot). You go crazy if I nibble the inside of your thigh _just_ right, and you always bite your lip right before you come. Oh, and even though you come across as tragically innocent, you're secretly a total nympho, just like me." Chloe smirked. "So, how'd I do?"

Max pretended to pout, crossing her arms like a petulant child. "Fine, you win. But if I'm a total nympho, you're more depraved than Caligula having an orgy in the middle of Burning Man."

"Damn right!" Chloe enthused. "You gotta be proud to let your freak flag fly!"

The two of them shared a laugh, which eventually died, leaving silence in its wake.

"Fuck, I'm really gonna miss you." Chloe said. "The last few months, aside from all the crazy shit in our first week back together, have been the best months of my life."

Max forced a smile. "You say that like we're never gonna see each other again."

That drew a grimace from Chloe. "I didn't mean it like that, I just… agh, damn it, I don't have the words…" She looked up, frustration evident in her expression. "… I love you." She finished with.

Max kissed her, trying to say what couldn't be said with words in one single action. "Stay with me, tonight." She whispered when they parted.

Chloe didn't need to be told twice. "Of course." She readily replied.

"We can have a sleepover," Max continued, "We'll make a fort, and watch movies all night. It'll be just like when we were younger."

"Just like old times." Chloe agreed. "Well, almost. There's probably gonna be a lot more of my tongue in your snatch than when we were kids."

Max smacked her in the arm. "Don't be gross!" She complained, though Chloe could easily see Max, despite her protestations, was intrigued at the suggestion, as she always was.

Chloe grinned again and, with some effort, moved off of the bed, where she made her way over to Max's battered sofa. She took the cushions off and threw them on the floor, laying the foundations of their fort. Her partner went to help her, and soon enough they had the basics of a decent pillow fort. They pulled the duvet from the bed, and used it as a makeshift roof, propping it up with a mix of boxes and Max's suitcases.

Once it was secure, they grinned at each other, and clambered in. It was a tight squeeze, but neither woman minded the closeness.

"So." Max ventured. "What do we do now?" There was an obvious air of suggestiveness to her voice, but Chloe ignored it. For now.

"Well, you said movies, so we're gonna watch a movie. Show me what you got, and I'll pick one."

Both of Max's eyes shot up incredulously. " _You'll_ pick one? What happened to being equal partners?"

Chloe gave her a look. "If I let you pick you'll just wanna watch that fucking terrible _Final Fantasy_ movie again. And I am _not_ suffering through that a second time."

Max pouted, but conceded the loss. Chloe did have a point; that was her go-to movie.

"Alright." She grumbled, "I'll get my laptop."

Thirty seconds later, the two of them were scrolling through folders, trying to find something that fit the mood. Nothing caught Chloe's eye, until the cursor hovered over one particular file.

"Oh, dude, nice. What about this one?" She said, pointing at the screen.

Max peered at the screen, and blanched. " _Blade Runner_?" She said, her voice sounding unnaturally meek. "C-can we watch something else? Please?"

Chloe frowned. "Sure, but … Max, what's up? You were fine a minute ago and now you're... I don't know."

Max took a breath, in an effort to make her stomach stop feeling like it was doing flips. "Th-the last time I- no, _we_ watched this... it was in the alternate timeline. The one where you were paralyzed. Watching that movie was the last thing that that Chloe and I ever did together before – before she asked me to help her die." Max shuddered, and realised she was fighting to hold back tears.

Chloe's eyes were wide as saucers. "Oh fuck. Max, I'm so sorry. I... I had no idea." She slapped herself in the forehead. "I'm a fucking idiot."

Max shook her head. "No, no you're not. You couldn't have known, and I should've told you earlier." She fell silent, certain now that because of her, the mood, if not the entire evening, now lay in tatters. She was surprised then, when she felt Chloe's weight shift, and an arm wrapped itself around her waist.

"Hey." Chloe said softly. "You didn't have to tell me anything, it doesn't matter. I feel sorry for that alternate me (now that felt really fuckin' weird to say), but I'm not her, and I'm not going anywhere. Now lets pick a movie so I can cuddle the shit out of you and pretend we're not gonna end up making out like ten minutes in."

Max smiled, thinking that Chloe always knew exactly what to say to cheer her up. "Alright." She said. "Pick something. But nothing sad, OK?"

She received a wink in reply.

"Gotcha."

Chloe scrolled through the selection for another minute or so, occasionally pointing out some of the weirder movies Max had obtained from Warren. Eventually, her eyes lit up.

"I choose... Wuv. Twue wuv." She quoted.

"Good choice." Max agreed.

Almost exactly ten minutes later, just as the Grandfather had finished detailing the backstory between Westley and Buttercup, Max felt a hand slyly making its way under her shirt, in a not-so-subtle fashion. They were both lying on their fronts, meaning Chloe's fingers met the skin of Max's lower back, and began gently caressing. Max's breathing hitched slightly, but otherwise she made no outward sign of acknowledgement, even though her heart was beginning to beat faster.

The fingers travelled slowly upwards, letting their nails dig in ever so slightly. Again, Max made sure she didn't react. It had now become a game, and if Max made any moves, or even looked in Chloe's direction, she would lose. The air was suddenly thick with a delicious tension, both women eager to see where things would go.

Chloe's deft fingers travelled further still, her whole hand was now under the shirt. The ends of her fingers met Max's bra strap, and a few seconds later had skillfully unclipped it.

Max was finding it increasingly difficult to keep up: Chloe was making her intentions _very_ clear.

Those slender fingers reached the top of Max's back and paused for a few seconds, their tips ghosting over the increasingly hot skin there. Without warning, Chloe dug her nails in, and raked them downwards, hard enough to leave a mark, but not hard enough to cause pain.

Max couldn't help it; she moaned, low and throaty. _Well, fuck._ She thought. She turned her eyes in Chloe's direction, knowing she had lost. She fully expected Chloe to launch herself at her, so she was surprised when Chloe simply smiled at her, and brought her other hand up to Max's chin.

"Close your eyes." Chloe whispered, gently lifting Max's head slightly.

Max obeyed, and when nothing happened for several seconds, she found herself licking her lips in anticipation.

Chloe moved, and even with her eyes closed, Max could tell their faces were now only centimetres apart. She felt soft breath on her face, and the barest of fleeting brushes on her lips. Another brush followed a few seconds later, and Max realised Chloe was still testing her, to see just how long she could wait like this, their lips mere millimetres apart.

To the surprise of no one, it wasn't long.

When Chloe next brushed her lips over Max's, something changed inside her, and Max _needed_ to have Chloe's lips on her own. The kiss was sudden and explosive, Max crashed her lips into Chloe's, desperately seeking more contact. Her lover was only too happy to oblige, and kissed back ferociously. Their mouths opened, and tongues met and battled for supremacy, even as their bodies collided.

Their hands roamed everywhere, trying to encompass as much of each other as possible. Max found the button on her jeans had somehow been undone, and the zipper pulled down. With some difficulty, she wriggled out of them, leaving her in her shirt, a pair of white panties, and an undone bra.

She retaliated in kind, breaking the kiss for a moment to drag Chloe's tank top over her head. After that, she swiftly removed her own, and pulled Chloe down on top of her as their mouths sought each other out once more. The kiss didn't last anywhere near as long this time, as Chloe broke it off and began making her way downwards, pausing to nip at the sensitive spot next to Max's jugular she had mentioned earlier.

 _Damn it, she does know me too well_ Max thought, even as she groaned appreciatively.

Her lover kissed, licked and bit her way down Max's torso, and once she reached Max's underwear, she brought both hands up and under Max's ass, gripped the hem of the panties, and yanked them off in one quick pull.

Usually, Chloe was one to get straight to business, but this time, she couldn't help but giggle.

Max opened her eyes, and looked down to find Chloe grinning at her from between her legs. "What?"

The grin widened. "Told you this would end with my tongue in your snatch."

Kate Marsh turned the dial to shut the water off, and stepped out of the shower. She wrapped a towel around her slender frame, and another smaller one around her hair. She approached the sink, and grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste. As she began her twice-daily routine, the only other occupied shower stall had its curtain flung open, and out stepped Victoria Chase. She hadn't seen Kate, as she was towelling her hair with what looked like a very expensive, fluffy towel. Otherwise, she was completely nude, and Kate couldn't help but notice her body was definitely well-defined, she undoubtedly spent a lot of time swimming.

She had to force herself to tear her eyes away from Victoria's toned abdominal muscles, her cheeks burning hot for some reason. She busied herself with brushing her teeth, trying her hardest to only stare at herself in the mirror, and not the naked woman who still hadn't noticed her.

Unfortunately, the next time she dared to look up, she happened to catch Victoria at the exact second she removed the towel from over her head, and noticed she wasn't alone.

Through the mirror, their eyes met for a fraction of a second. Though, to Kate's surprise, it was Victoria who immediately looked away. She hastily covered herself with her towel, something Kate found distinctly odd, as she had seen Victoria have absolutely no qualms about nudity when she was around her friends. Without a word to Kate, the Vortex Queen gathered her things together and rushed out of the bathroom, though Kate could've sworn her cheeks were a distinct shade of red as she went through the door.

 _How odd._ She thought to herself. Thinking nothing more of it, she finished brushing her teeth, flossed, and changed into her sleep wear hastily, in case anyone else came in.

Upon exiting the bathroom, she reminded herself she needed to say goodbye to Max. She knew her friend was leaving for the summer, and she didn't know if she would have time to catch her in the morning. She adjusted course, and walked towards Max's door.

 _Oh bother!_ She thought, _I meant to get her a going away gift! I knew I'd forgotten something…_ She hovered in the corridor, frantically trying to think of an alternative. _Got it!_ She thought, _it's not perfect, but it'll do in a pinch._ She made a beeline for her bedroom, and once she was in there, began searching through her sketchbooks. It didn't take long, as she was immaculately organised about such things. She selected the sketch of Max as an anthropomorphic deer, and carefully cut the page out. She didn't have a frame for it, but she did have a spare binder, which would suffice. Satisfied, she tucked the binder under her arm and headed back to Max's room.

She approached the door, humming happily to herself. She gripped the handle, and was just about to knock, when a high pitched sound coming from within the room gave her pause. She froze, her knuckles hovering only a centimetre or so above the wood. When the noise repeated itself, she drew her hand away, and against every instinct she had screaming at her to leave, she pressed her ear up against the door, listening intensely.

What she heard made her heart begin to gallop, her skin tingled, a pool of heat formed in her core and her stomach immediately spawned a few thousand butterflies. The moaning, for moaning it was, was clearly Max's. It was obvious she was trying to stifle it, but whatever Chloe was doing to her was evidently more than enough to break through Max's defenses.

The moaning turned suddenly shorter, sharper, and closer together. Kate pressed herself closer to the door, straining to hear what was going on. This time, she managed to catch some words.

"Oh… fuck fuck fucking _hell…_ Chlo, I'm close… don't stop… unh… don't – oh god. Chloe I'm gonna-"

Whatever Max was going to say next was obscured by a short, choked cry, and then silence. Realising what must have happened, Kate beat a hasty retreat, terrified the couple would hear her outside the room. She raced back to her own room, and pulled the door shut as quickly as she dared without making any noise. It was just as well she did, a few seconds later, she heard footsteps coming down the corridor, and the door to the women's bathroom open and closed.

She let out a giant, shaky breath she didn't know she'd been holding. Composing herself, she cracked open the door by a sliver, just enough to see out, but not enough to see in. A few seconds later, the door to the bathroom swung open, and through it emerged Max. Kate's stomach pulled a flip when she saw Max was only wearing a battered old t-shirt and a pair of panties. She was slightly skinnier than Kate had expected, but she did decide that Max had exceedingly nice legs. When she had passed by, Kate silently shut the door, and rested against it. She closed her eyes, and rested a hand over her heart. It was thudding like a jackhammer.

 _Oh Kate, what have you gotten yourself into?_

The morning proved to be a drab, grey affair. Max and Chloe were stood on Blackwell's main steps, waiting for Max's parents to turn up. Max was clinging onto Chloe's arm, and resting her head on her shoulder. "I had fun last night." She said.

Chloe kissed her head in reply. She still hated that Max was going, but all their goodbyes had already been said the previous night. Extensively. She closed her eyes, relishing the memories fresh in her mind. The sound of footsteps thudding against concrete tore her out of her reverie, the two of them turned around, to find Kate running towards them, some kind of folder clutched in her hand. She stopped in front of them, panting for breath.

"Kate? What's up? What's the matter?" Max asked.

In reply, Kate held out the binder. "Wanted… to give you… this… before…. You went." She panted, still struggling for breath.

"You're adorable, Kate. Though you totally didn't have to get me anything." She said awkwardly.

Chloe gave her a good-natured eye roll. Max was still awful at being given things.

Max took the proffered binder, and opened it up. She let out a small gasp, and a beaming smile made its way across her face as she saw what it was. She immediately took Kate into her arms, drawing her into a tight embrace. "You're a total sweetheart." She whispered into Kate's ear, and pecked her on the cheek.

Kate immediately turned beet red, something Chloe didn't fail to notice. She stammered out an awkward goodbye, telling Max she'd see her when the new semester started. After that, she quickly turned heel and left, leaving a bemused Max and a smirking Chloe.

"I swear to god she's got a crush on us. Or maybe just you." The blue-haired punk stated.

"What, Kate? You think so?"

"Dude, she turned like bright red when you hugged her." Chloe smirked at her. "You're turning into a real lady-killer, Ms Caulfield."

Max snorted. "As if. Though if she does, what do we do if it gets awkward or anything?"

Before Chloe could think of an answer, a car horn sounded. They both looked, and saw Max's parents driving down the road, each of them waving at the young couple.

Several long minutes later, after many, many hugs from all involved, and an enthusiastic game of Tetris involving fitting all of Max's bags and boxes into the car, Max and Chloe found themselves at the point they had both dreaded. Max's parents had already said goodbye to Chloe, and had returned to the car to give the couple some privacy.

It took all of half a second for the two women to fling themselves into each other's arms, hugging fiercely, knowing it would be weeks before they would be able to do so again.

"I'm gonna talk to you every day, no matter what." Max promised. "And not just texts, I'm gonna Skype you every day too."

Chloe kissed her, savouring the feeling of Max's soft lips against her own. "You better." She said. "Otherwise I'mma hunt you down and surgically attach myself to you."

Despite herself, Max chuckled. "That's gross, but hella sweet of you." She sighed, "I'm gonna go. If I stay any longer I'll just start crying, and if I do that you'll tease me forever."

Chloe smiled. "Go, you big dork."

The two women kissed for a final time. Then, Max slipped out of Chloe's embrace, got into her parent's car, and blew Chloe a kiss as the car peeled away from the kerb.

A minute later, it was nothing but a reflective glint, heading further and further from Arcadia Bay.

Chloe sniffed, conscious of one thing and one thing only: she was alone.

 **Author's Note:** Kept you waiting, huh? No for real, sorry for being away for so long. Real Life is a fickle and often busy mistress. I won't bore you with the details, but this summer has been insanely busy for me, and I haven't had time to write much. The upside is, I have the next few chapters all planned out. And guess what? Starting with this one, you're getting a 5 chapter story arc, because I think we all want to see what's gonna happen with Kate, especially when Max comes back. I mean, what is even up with Ms Marsh? She's acting really weird don'tcha think? Updates will be weekly, hopefully. It depends on how hard Real Life makes me its bitch. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter, even though it's kind of a sad one. See you guys next time, peace out.


	17. Conversations with Punk People

****Author's Note:**** **Just a short (for me) chapter this week. Hope you enjoy it.** ****

 ** **Conversation with Punk People****

 _ _Boop dee doo, boop doo doop__.

The familiar Skype ringtone sounded just as Chloe was searching through her dresser for a fresh shirt. The sound made her jump,, and her heart began beating out a samba. Without looking, she grabbed the first shirt that came to hand, hurriedly crammed it over her head and flitted over to her ever-messy desk to answer the insistent summons of her laptop.

She clicked the friendly green answer button, and a second later, Max's smiling but surprisingly tired looking face blinked onto the screen. Max's eyes immediately zeroed in on her shirt, and a big, dorky grin spread across her face.

"Nice shirt." She said wryly, nodding toward's Chloe's torso.

"Huh, what?" Chloe looked down, and was greeted with the grinning visage of Hawt-Dawg Man emblazoned across a neon pink background. "Holy shit, I didn't even realize I still had this. I don't think I've worn this since I was, like, fifteen I think?"

Max laughed. "Well, out of the two of us, you officially own the lamest shirt. Because seriously, hella lame."

Chloe scoffed incredulously. "Please, like you haven't been rocking the same pink deer shirt for ages now."

Max responded by sticking out her bottom lip, looking for a minute like a child who had been sent to her room. "I like it." She stated with a defiant pout.

Her expression drew a lopsided grin from the punk. "I know, just messing with you, sweetie. It's actually kinda cute how much you like it." __Though it looks better when it's on my floor__. She mentally added.

Max blushed at the compliment, though she managed a smile, twirling a loose strand of hair around her finger. "You always know how to give a girl a compliment."

"It's a talent." Chloe teased.

Her girlfriend giggled again, and Chloe felt an acute pang of longing, lodged deep in her chest. "God, I wish I could just reach through the screen and pull you out." She said wistfully, "I miss you like crazy." She added.

"I miss you too." Max replied. "Though at least we can text and stuff. I mean, it's not as good as having you with me, obviously, but it's better than nothing."

"Uh, yeah, speaking of texting and shit, how come you went radio silent for like three days? I was hella worried about you. For real, I was checking my phone every two seconds. Do you know what that does to a girl?" Chloe asked, unable to keep her voice entirely free of accusation.

Max winced. "I know, and I'm so sorry about that, Chlo. It's actually why I called you the second I could; my parents sprung a surprise weekend on the mountains on me. Like they literally woke me up at dead o'clock in the morning, bundled me into the car and drove for three hours up to this old log cabin in the ass-end of No Signal Land. If I'd known I totally would've told you, so you wouldn't get freaked out." She paused, and swallowed, before managing a small, tentative smile. "There's a silver lining , I guess. I got some seriously awesome photos I can't wait to show you."

"They better be awesome." Chloe grumbled. "And dude, I love you, and your parents, but they suck for doing that."

Max couldn't help but roll her eyes a little. "I know, but it was kinda nice just to spend some time with them, as a family, y'know?"

When Chloe opted for grumpy silence instead of replying, Max sighed, though she knew Chloe was mostly just putting on a performance for effect. "Here, will this make it better?" She said, a sly grin creeping across her face.

When she saw Chloe direct her attention back to the screen, she slowly unbuttoned the plaid shirt she was wearing, until it was hanging open by her sides, exposing the thin white vest she had on underneath. Chloe's eyes locked onto the curves of her torso, and Max knew she had her undivided attention. With a confident smirk, she took hold of the bottom of her vest and slowly began to slide it up, exposing the skin of her midriff centimetre by agonisingly slow centimetre. She glanced at the screen, and was pleased to see Chloe was biting her lip in anticipation. Deciding to take pity on her no-doubt increasingly pent up girlfriend, she quickly yanked the vest the rest of the way up and over her breasts, exposing them to an eager Chloe. Although she didn't have much in the way of cleavage, she still created as much as she could by pushing her petite, yet perky breasts together.

Chloe's eyes widened, and all she could manage to say was "Daaaamn."

Max kneaded her breasts between her fingers. "Better?" She breathed, even though she already knew the answer.

Chloe could only nod, enraptured.

After a considerable span of seconds, she still hadn't stopped staring.

"Uh, Chlo? Can I lower my shirt now? It's getting kinda cold." Max prompted.

Chloe grinned. "I can tell." She nodded towards Max's nipples.

Max stuck her tongue out and covered herself, dropping the vest down and buttoning the plaid shirt back up.

"I totally didn't screencap that." Chloe said lecherously.

"Of course not." Max said. "And you're definitely not gonna use it for "inspiration" later, right?"

"No sirree." Chloe was still grinning.

Max winked at her, and the two women giggled.

"I'd offer to join you with stroking the beaver later, but the walls here are hella thin." Max said sheepishly. "And I __really__ don't want my parents to walk in on us... uh..."

"Jerking off to each other?" Chloe finished.

Max nodded. "Yeah, that." She leaned back in her chair, examining her nails absent mindedly. "So what've you been doing while I was trapped in the land of no WiFi, aside from strumming the lady harp?"

Chloe paused, looking thoughtful. "Well, uh, I sketched out a few new tat designs I think you're gonna like. Also had a couple of beers with David last night, turns out he's actually pretty chill once he gets a decent buzz on." She smirked. "Oh, and I got a job."

Unfortunately, Max had been in the middle of drinking from a glass of water when Chloe said that. She didn't do a spit-take, as Chloe had been hoping, but instead began choking on the water. After half a minute of coughing, pounding herself in the chest, and several giant panic breaths, Max managed to force out "You got a job? Holy shit, that's awesome Chloe!"

"Thanks, but it's not much." Chloe replied. "My Mom thought I was moping around the house too much, with you being gone and everything, so she "persuaded" me to come work for her at Two Whales. I'm just cleaning crap at the minute, but my Mom pays above minimum wage and I get all the bacon I can eat."

"Still awesome." Max repeated. A sly smile, something Chloe rarely saw, appeared on her face. "Sooo… think you could sneak me some bacon when your mom's not looking?"

"Maxine Caulfield, are you asking me to embezzle bacon from my own mother's business?" She levelled an accusing finger at her partner, who adopted an expression of that of a puppy who had been caught sneaking into the food cupboard.

Chloe's accusatory pointing continued for several long moments, until her façade cracked and she began giggling uncontrollably. "Dude, all you had to do was ask normally. My Mom will probably be happy to give you free bacon." She smirked. "Man, you are so easy to fuck with."

Max resumed her earlier pout. "Am not. You're just a horrible mean lady who makes her girlfriend feel awful for asking for side bacon."

A raise of Chloe's left eyebrow ensued. "Am I a mean lady? Am I really?" She dryly questioned, though inside she was highly amused by Max's protests.

Max nodded. "Yup. You're the meanest lady alive."

"Uh-huh." Chloe wasn't convinced by Max's act in the slightest. "Would a mean lady tell you she loves you more than Snape loved Lily? That she misses you more than a desert flower misses the rain? That if you were with her, right now, she'd pin you to the bed, pull your panties off with her teeth, and make love to you all. Night. Long." She lowered her head, looking up through her eyelashes. "Would a mean lady do all that?"

She was rewarded with a smile she could have gotten lost in for days. She smiled back, unable to help herself: when Max smiled at her, it was always infectious.

"I guess not." Max said, still smiling. She bit her lip, a small blush creeping into her cheeks. "The lovemaking sounds pretty good." She admitted. "If my parents weren't in right now, I'd definitely be tempted to show you how much I __appreciated__ that part."

She sounded calm, but Chloe could see her hands bunching together the loose end of her shirt in a manner that betrayed just how much Max liked that thought. "Are they not gonna be in anytime soon? Because I think we both need to have a more __private__ conversation." She wiggled her eyebrows.

Max put a finger on her lips, tilted her head, and gazed off to the left in an exaggerated __just let me think__ pose. "We're in luck." She said. "They're both out tomorrow night." She tried to smile again, but a rather colossal yawn broke through it, which resisted every attempt she made to stifle it.

"Go to bed hon." Chloe said. "You look way beyond tired.

Max nodded meekly. "That's probably a good idea." She agreed. "I love you, and don't forget about tomorrow."

"I love you too, and it's a date."

With a final wave and a sleepy smile, Max ended the call, leaving Chloe sat in the dark, staring at the now black screen. She stared at it for a few seconds, feeling like she had spontaneously developed a warm, gooey centre. A few seconds after that, the warm fuzzies she was basking in were interrupted by a loud yawn.

 _ _Guess I should go to bed too.__ She thought. She got up from her chair, stretched, and stripped off her top, faded jeans and bra, which she threw in a heap on the floor. Neglecting to find sleepwear, she clambered into bed. Her head hit the pillow with a soft __whump__ , just as her phone vibrated. She grumbled softly, and rolled over to grab it from where it was charging via a wall port. The grumbling ceased when she saw she had a message from Max.

 ** **Max: Here's a little something to get u warmed up for tmrw…****

A selfie followed. In it, Max was in bed, but she definitely wasn't sleeping. She was gazing sultrily up into the camera, biting her lip in a way that gave Chloe tingles. She had removed her shirt and vest again, and as Chloe scrolled down, she was delighted to see that not only was Max topless, she was also entirely naked. Max's legs were open, inviting Chloe's eyes downwards to the fork between her legs. Although she had covered her most intimate parts with her free hand, Chloe still found the curves and lines of Max's thighs, hips and ass intoxicating.

She licked her lips, her hand creeping down her abdomen, heading almost involuntarily for one specific place.

 _ _Maybe I don't need to sleep__ just _ _yet…__

 **Author's Note:** Whoever can tell me what the title of this chapter is referencing gets... Uh... I dunno, a fake Internet cookie?

Anyway, next chapter will see the duo reunited, because there's plot stuff I want to get to, plus writing about them being separated isn't all that interesting. Well, I do have one idea, but that will be its own self contained chapter, separate from this story. See you guys in a week or so, peace out.


	18. Et vos Implete Me

**Author's Note:** Another long-ish chapter here, but hey, at least I'm getting slightly quicker at getting them out, I think? R-right?

 **Et vos Implete Me**

It was the waiting that she hated the most, Chloe decided. Though it wasn't the six week long, Max-less wait she had forced herself through that she hated. No, that honour belonged to the wait she now found herself trapped in, unable to escape from. This waiting was the worst one of all, because today was the day her Max was coming home, and she was late. Late by several hours, in fact. She checked her phone. Max had been meaning to arrive at around midday; it was now six in the evening, hence Chloe's torture.

She got up and paced around her bedroom, as she had done dozens if not hundreds of times already that day. She sparked up what must have been her twentieth cigarette of the day, but even the slow release of nicotine wasn't enough to allay her impatience. After yet another circuit or her room, she checked her messages, even though she knew she didn't have any new ones.

Instead, she read through the last few Max had sent her, each one of them informing her of a new problem: first they had forgotten to pack a box, then one of the tires needed re-inflating. The biggest problem, and the cause of the now several hours long delay, had been a major accident on the highway, forcing Max's parents to drive almost a hundred and fifty miles out of their way.

Chloe sighed in frustration and collapsed into her chair, spinning around in it impatiently. Surely they had to be vaguely near Arcadia Bay by now? It couldn't take that long for them to-

Her phone buzzed.

Chloe catapulted out of the chair, sending it careening across the floor. With her hands shaking in excitement, she brought her phone up to her face and tapped on the little message icon. She didn't recognise the number, but her heart still leapt into her throat when she saw it was from Max.

 **Max: Chlo, I'm so sorry abt not texting u. My phone died and my charger is in a box** **sum** **were** ಠ╭╮ಠ. **Please forgive me? *hugs* I think we're about 15 mins away, if ur not too mad to come meet me…**

Chloe had never run for her truck so fast in her life.

She pelted down the stairs, paused for a second to grab one essential item, and burst through the front door, barely remembering to lock it behind her. She scrambled into her truck, not bothering with seatbelts, and gunned the engine. She tore out of the driveway, driving almost recklessly, though she did wince when she saw she'd left some prominent tire marks on the drive.

At the speed she was going, the trip to Blackwell only took a few minutes, though it may as well have been an eternity for Chloe. At long last, she pulled into the parking lot, her heart beating so hard it felt like it was going to break open her ribs, tear its way out of her chest and go flying across the tarmac. She also thought she might be hyperventilating.

None of that mattered though, when she saw a familiar bob of hair, which Chloe was pleased to see was still a bright pink. She parked, badly, and threw open the car door, not bothering to close it as she practically launched herself out of the vehicle.

Chloe hit the ground at a dead sprint. Her feet slapped against the tarmac as she pelted across the parking lot, a bubble of elation in her chest making her feel like she was flying.

"MAX!" A joyous shout tore itself out of her throat. Max whipped round towards her and even though Chloe was still sprinting, the world seemed to drop into slow motion, just for a moment. A beatific, rapturous smile spread across Max's lips as she realised just who was hurtling towards her.

It was a sight Chloe would remember for the rest of her life: Max's brilliant smile, full of nothing but love, and her bright pink hair set ablaze by the setting sun. She dropped the box she had been holding and held out her arms, just as Chloe closed the last few feet between them. At the last second, Chloe altered her momentum slightly, so instead of crashing into Max, she picked her up and spun her around, her legs almost perpendicular to the ground.

Max shrieked with laughter, and to Chloe, it was the most beautiful sound she'd ever heard. She wound down the spin, drawing Max into her arms, relishing the feeling again. Their eyes locked for just a brief second, and then their lips met, and all was right with the world.

In the background, Max's parents smiled at each other and looked away, half out of respect for the young couple's privacy, and half because of the sheer outpouring of affection. Ryan looked at his wife, then at Max, then back to Vanessa. "We raised a good kid." He said. Vanessa simply kissed him on the cheek, and laid her head on his shoulder.

"I missed you so. Fucking. Much." Chloe whispered fiercely, between peppering Max's lips with kisses.

"I missed you too." Max breathed. She pressed herself against Chloe even more, never wanting to let go. "God, this feels so right." She mumbled into Chloe's chest.

"Hella." Came Chloe's response.

The two women continued embracing for what seemed like centuries. Or maybe time had stopped completely. Either way, they didn't care. All that mattered in the world was each other.

Or, it was until Max felt a tap on her shoulder. She opened her eyes, and saw her dad raising an amused eyebrow.

"Hate to break up the love-in here, but we do have a bunch of your stuff to move." He gently prompted. "Hey Chloe, long time no see." He greeted the punk, and drew her into a hug.

"'Sup Ryan. It's good to see you." She hugged him back.

The three of them walked over to the car, where Vanessa Caulfield was waiting. Upon seeing Chloe, she grinned widely and gave her the kind of hug only a Mom could.

"You look good, Chloe." She said, after giving her a quick once-over.

"So do you." Chloe reciprocated, "I'm loving the hair." She pointed to Vanessa's tumbling locks, which were now a vibrant shade of cherry red.

"That's nice of you to say, sweetie." Vanessa accepted the compliment gracefully. "After seeing Max's, I guess I felt like a change of pace."

"Well, it hella suits you." Chloe enthused.

Vanessa winked at her, and leaned in to whisper into her ear. "Ryan thinks so too." She said. "He's always had a thing for redheads. He's been _very_ enthusiastic the last few weeks." She drew away, leaving Chloe blushing.

Max noticed. "Oh god, Mom, what did you do now?" She asked, in a heavily accusatory fashion.

"Oh nothing, sweetie." Vanessa flipped her hair, and Chloe couldn't help but notice how Ryan's eyes locked onto the red cascade. "Anyway, shall we get started?" She hefted a box.

Forty five minutes later, the four of them stood, slightly sweaty, in the middle of Max's room, surrounded by boxes and suitcases.

"Holy hell, Max, when did you get so many clothes?" Chloe moaned.

Max shrugged. "I had a lot of time over the summer, so I raided a few thrift stores."

"Of course you did." Chloe rolled her eyes. "Ever the hipster."

"You love it." Max said, and kissed her on the cheek.

"I think that's our cue to leave." Ryan interjected. "I'm sure you two have a lot of catching up to do."

He caught the both of them up in a huge bear hug, which Vanessa joined after a few seconds. "Keep our daughter out of trouble, you know what she's like." He joked to Chloe once they had all separated.

"Yessir!" She said, while Max stuck her tongue out at her dad.

A minute later, after Max's parents had said their goodbyes and Max had promised to call them the day after, the punk and the hipster found themselves alone. In a heartbeat, they were back in each other's arms. Their mouths smashed together, hard enough for their teeth to clash and their lips to bruise. Neither woman cared, each seeking as much contact as possible.

Chloe's hands were everywhere, running over Max's back, hips, thighs, almost like she was reminding herself what her partner felt like. She hooked her hands around the back of Max's thighs, just under her butt, and lifted.

Max jumped up eagerly, wrapping her legs around Chloe's hips. A delighted squeal made its way out of when Chloe shoved her up against a wall and began attacking her exposed neck with her lips, teeth and tongue. Her own hands gripped Chloe's ass, and she used the opportunity to give it a hard smack, causing Chloe to growl and bite down, hard, on her collarbone. Max moaned, low and guttural, her nerve endings on fire. She rocked her hips against Chloe's, grinding, desperate for any relief from the neutron star of white hot desire blazing away in her core.

Her hands made their way under Chloe's top, brushing against heated skin. She tried to push upwards, in an effort to remove the top entirely, but Chloe stopped her.

"Wait." Chloe said. "Not yet."

Max frowned. "Something wrong?"

Chloe shook her head. "No, definitely not. But as much as I really, _really_ wanna fuck you senseless right now, I do have a surprise for you."

"Oh?" Max's eyes widened.

Chloe grinned widely, her tongue between her teeth. There was the sound a jangling metal, and a second later a set of keys were dangling in front of Max's face.

"Ta-da!" Chloe sang. "I thought it was high time the Blackwell Ninjas made their hella triumphant return."

Max laughed, and draped her arms around Chloe's neck, running her fingers through the soft blue hair. "You're incorrigible." She said, nuzzling Chloe's earlobe. "What've you got in mind?"

"Wanna break into the pool again?"

Max didn't need to be asked twice. She hopped off of Chloe, and grabbed her bag.

"Fuck yeah I do."

A flutter of movement in the corner of her eye, and the sound of hushed giggling caught her attention. Kate turned away from the last few rays of light on the horizon, which she had been sketching appreciatively, and gazed curiously in the direction she thought the giggle had come from. To her surprise, she saw two familiar heads of hair, one pink and one blue, disappearing into the pool building.

 _Wait, was that Max and Chloe? I didn't even know she was back!_ Kate thought. _And what the heck are they doing sneaking into the pool at this time?_ She hastily packed her sketchbook away, and scuttled after them, trying her hardest to be as quiet as possible. She closed the door behind her, after making sure no one else had seen her tailing Max and Chloe. _Kate, why are you doing this again?_ She mentally asked herself, though it didn't stop her from making her way further into the building, in search of the two women she rightly suspected were up to shenanigans.

"There!" Max said, as she located and pressed the correct button. "The pool should be heated now."

"Sweet!" Chloe sauntered up behind her. She circled her arms around Max's hips, crossing them just above the dip of her pelvis. "Remember the last time we did this?" She murmured into her ear.

Max smiled warmly and reached up and back, cupping Chloe's cheek with her hand. "I do." She said, relaxing into the warmth of Chloe's embrace. "And I remember having about as much fun as we could, considering all the insane shit we were dealing with."

"Mmm." Chloe made a noise in agreement. "Though if I were a bettin' gal, I'd wager tonight is gonna be _much_ more fun."

"Oh really?" Max bit her lip, feeling Chloe's hand dip a little lower, enough to brush her inner thigh. Max arched her back a little, curling her ass out and pushing back into Chloe's hips.

"Really." Echoed her partner in crime. "C'mon," she said, leading Max by the hand towards the pool. "I wanna get you all wet." She smirked. "Pun totally intended."

Max rolled her eyes, but allowed herself to be led towards the pool all the same.

As they neared the water's edge, Chloe dropped her hand. "Stay here." She commanded. "You get to watch." She followed with, solidifying the implication with an enticing wink.

Her curiosity more than aroused, among other things, Max sat back and did as she was told.

Chloe smiled at her from over her shoulder, and strolled lazily towards the edge of the pool. She kicked off her boots as she did so, and bent down to peel off her socks.

"Nice ass." Max drawled.

Chloe shrugged nonchalantly, though Max could see a small but prideful smirk on her face.

The jeans came next, with Chloe slowly slipping them down her shapely legs, revealing some black and blue bikini bottoms that sat enticingly low on her hips. Chloe kicked the jeans away, hoping that had drawn a reaction out of Max.

To put it simply, she had easily succeeded.

Max was utterly captivated, unable to do anything other than stare at the newly exposed skin. Had Chloe's legs always been that long? She couldn't remember, but she sure wasn't going to complain about it.

That was however, as far as she ever got with that line of thought, as Chloe reached down and with one smooth movement, whipped off her tank top, and spun round so she was facing Max.

Max's jaw literally dropped when she saw Chloe's figure. She had always been skinny, but now, the softness was accentuated by toned, hard lines. Max's gaze drifted to Chloe's stomach: those were definitely some pretty impressive abs Chloe had been working on. Max found herself thinking just how much she wanted to run her tongue along them.

"You wanna do _what?_ " Chloe asked, a sly grin serving to give Max butterflies.

Max's eyes widened. "Shit, did I say that out loud?"

"Just a little bit." Chloe said dryly.

"Can you blame me? I mean, _daaaaaamn_ Chlo." She gestured to Chloe's newly toned physique. "When did you get all ripped and stuff?"

Chloe shrugged. "Got kinda bored while you were away, plus I wanted to give you a hella nice surprise when you got back. Max like?"

Max nodded so fast she looked like a bobble head toy. "Max definitely like."

Chloe grinned. "Check this out." She stretched, bending down on straight legs and arching her back, highlighting her (gorgeous, in Max's opinion) form even more.

An idea fell into her head. "Wait, Chloe, stay there!" She reached for her bag.

Chloe looked confused, but complied. "Okay, but why?"

Her question was answered a second later when Max brought out her camera. "Wanna be my model?" She asked, grinning broadly.

"I'm down for that, but any nudes have to be tasteful." Chloe said.

"Hey, it's me. Of course they'll be tasteful." Max said, a little boastful.

"Don't get cocky, kid." Chloe chuckled.

Max shushed her, and began lining up her shot. When she was satisfied, she pressed down on the shutter, the flash went off, and the camera ejected the Polaroid snap with a satisfying whir. "Awesome." She said, placing the photo into her bag. "You're a natural, Chlo. That looked hot as fuck."

"I thought the photographer wasn't supposed to flirt with the model?" Chloe teased.

"Oh I'm gonna do much more than flirt with you later." Max promised, a dangerous edge to her voice.

"I'm gonna hold you to that." Chloe said, hoping her voice wouldn't crack.

Max simply winked, and brought her camera up again. "Put your right arm behind your head… yeah, like that. Now bring your left leg up and bend it slightly… that's good, Chlo. Hitch your hip out a little, if you can? Nice. I think I've got my shot."

A few seconds later, the shot was in the bag. Literally.

"Wanna do one more?" Max said. "I think we've got a good thing going here."

Chloe nodded. "Sure, but let's make it a little more interesting." She reached behind her back, and a moment later, the bikini top fluttered to the ground.

She stretched again, and Max couldn't help but let out a little groan of suppressed desire.

"Oh?" Chloe teased. "You're not gonna be too distracted are you?" She asked, feigning innocence.

"N-no, shut up!" Max stammered, trying an failing to sound unaffected.

"Uh-huh." Chloe wasn't convinced in the slightest. She gestured, indicating the area around her. "Where do you wanna have me?"

 _Oh that was definitely on purpose._ Max's internal voice said. "Uh… there's good." She managed to say, with only a small hesitation. She pointed at a spot on the edge of the water.

Chloe nodded. "I think I've got the perfect pose for you."

She walked to the edge, putting an extra sway into her hips. Upon reaching it, she got down on the ground. She reclined, leaning backwards and supporting herself with her forearms and elbows. She also bent one leg, keeping the knee pointed upwards and her foot in line with the floor. She kept her other leg straight. As a final touch, she arched her back, pushing her chest upwards and throwing her head back, so her hair fell down behind her.

" _Wowser…"_ Max whispered. She aimed her camera, hoping her hands weren't shaking too much, and pushed the button. _I have a feeling that's gonna turn out great,_ she thought, storing the precious Polaroid in her bag. She went and sat next to Chloe, trying not to let her partner's near-nakedness distract her any more.

As she sat down, Chloe smiled at her.

"This has been fun." She said.

Max narrowed her eyes. "Oh we're not finished yet, Ms Price."

"We're not?"

Max grinned, making sure she looked as devious as possible. "Well, you did say you wanted to get wet." And with that, she shoved Chloe into the pool.

Chloe's shriek was cut short by a loud splash as she tumbled into the water. A second later, she surfaced, spitting water everywhere. "Max!" She protested.

Max simply shrugged. "Call that payback for teasing me."

Chloe searched around for a comeback, but eventually acquiesced and acknowledged the point.

Max giggled, and began to strip down herself. When she was down to her underwear, she poked a toe into the water, testing it. Unfortunately for her, she didn't have any more time to decide if the temperature was acceptable, as Chloe grabbed her leg, and yanked her into the pool.

Unlike Chloe, Max didn't even have time to scream. She just toppled into the pool, headfirst, a look of complete surprise on her face. When she surfaced, she glared at Chloe. "You suck."

Chloe smirked. "Consider us even."

"Oh, I don't know about that." Max retorted. She drew her arms back. "Ka-me-ha-me"

"Max don't you dare!"

"HAAAA!"

A huge wave of water, worthy of a Super Saiyan, hit Chloe directly in the face. She squealed, spluttered, and blinked water out of her eyes. She fixed Max with a fierce glare. "Oh you are _so_ dead."

 _They must be around here somewhere…_ Kate thought. _And I definitely don't remember this building being so confusing! I keep getting turned around! Wait, what was that?_

The distinct sounds of shrieking and shouting drew her attention. _That's probably them, if my hunch is right._

It was. By following the sounds, she quickly arrived at the pool. She ducked behind and wall, and slowly peeked out as much as she dared. She saw two figures, doubtless Max and Chloe, engaged in a full-scale splash war in the middle of the pool. Looking on at the happy couple, Kate felt an unexpected pang of longing, and she found she would have given anything to be in the middle of what sounded like purely joyous, raucous fun.

The splashing died down unexpectedly, and even Kate, who was several tens of yards away, could feel the tension between the two. Then, they came together, their forms intertwining into one. A gasp was heard, and Kate decided she should probably make her exit. She definitely did not want to see anything that would have made her feel guilty later. She quietly slipped away, unable to shake the vestiges of longing still lingering within her.

"Chloe… we should… _mphh_ probably move this to my room…" Max managed to force out between kisses.

"Why? I'm pretty sure you don't want me to stop." Chloe said, her hand creeping under the waistband of Max's underwear.

"Well," Max replied, stopping the wandering wand centimetres from its destination, "I doubt the pool maintenance guys would appreciate us having sex in it, and I _really don't_ wanna get chlorine all up in my lady parts."

Chloe paused. "That's… a good point."

Max brought her lips up to Chloe's ear. "Plus, there's probably hardly anyone in the dorm… we can be as loud as we want." She purred, with a nip to Chloe's earlobe for good measure.

Chloe swallowed. "Double good point."

Max grinned. "C'mon."

The two let go of each other and climbed out of the pool, towelling themselves dry as best they could with two pilfered locker room towels. Then, they snuck out, making sure everything was just as they had found it.

After closing and locking the pool building door behind them, they scampered across the main grounds, giggling like they were children up to no good again.

"The Blackwell Ninjas strike again!" Max whisper-shouted.

Chloe took her hand, and beamed at her as they ran across the grounds. "I'm so glad you're back," she said.

Max smiled. "Me too."

 **Author's Note:** Not much to say here, except for I hope you enjoyed this chapter. To be brutally honest, I'm trying to push myself in terms of description, as you can only write so much before it starts to feel kinda samey, know what I mean? Any advice, tips or feedback would be much appreciated.

Next time will see the start of the climax of this arc we have involving Kate. I'm trying to get it out as quickly as possible, as I have a very special chapter planned for October 9th. What happens on October 9th? Well, you'll just have to wait and see (though anyone able to predict what it is gets a special mention). Until next time, I've been your humble author. Peace out.


	19. The Sound of Silence

**The Sound of Silence**

Max hummed cheerily to herself as she crossed the Blackwell campus, her gait unusually jaunty. She waved at a few people, receiving either complimentary waves or nods back. Even Victoria gave her a chaste nod and a barely perceptible smile, though she did hastily look round to see if anyone was watching her, something Max found privately hilarious.

She was in a good mood. The weather had been bright and sunny, she'd gone to a cool nerd-themed café with Warren, and she'd taken a photo of a blue butterfly that reminded her of Chloe. But all of those things, as nice as they had been, were not the reason she was feeling good. No, the reason for that was she had a date night with Chloe to look forward to, their first proper date since she had returned to Arcadia Bay, if you discounted her and Chloe's only-slightly-illicit sojourn into Blackwell's gym a few nights ago.

She checked her phone, noting she had plenty of time to get ready before she needed to leave. Rounding the corner to the girls' dormitories, she stopped briefly to say hi to Juliet and a newly-arrived-for-the-semester Taylor, before entering the dormitory itself and making a beeline for her room. Once in, she dumped her bag on her bed and stripped off her ubiquitous hoodie, tossing it haphazardly onto her chair.

Flicking an errant strand of pink hair out of her face, she opened her closet, stuck both arms in, and began to rifle through it in search of something appropriate to wear. _It's not a huge fancy dinner_ , she thought, _but it is_ a _dinner, and it's not often we go someplace other than my room, her room, or the junkyard, so I should probably make some kind of effort._ She held up a blue dress shirt and black pants, considering them for a second before discarding them. _Too stuffy._

She searched for another minute, eventually settling on a light grey tea dress with a raised pattern of black roses on the left hem of the skirt, that circled up and around her left hip, across the stomach, and eventually ended under the right armpit.

 _Perfect. Now I just need something to go with it._

Her eyes alighted on a pair of coal-black stockings, with a lace trim. She smiled to herself. _Those will get Chloe's engine going for sure._

Satisfied with her selection, she picked up a towel, and left to go shower. The bathroom was empty when she arrived, and even though she had plenty of time to spare, she wasted no time in securing a cubicle for herself and stripping down. She turned the tap perhaps a little too forcefully, resulting in a blast of warm water hitting her directly, though it was far from an unpleasant sensation.

She closed her eyes, tipping her head back and allowing a satisfied sigh to escape her throat. She revelled in the warm, relaxing water for another minute, and then started on washing herself. When she was done, she rinsed off her hair as best she could, and wrapped herself in her towel.

 _Maybe I'll put a little makeup on,_ she thought as she wandered back to her room. _Wow, Max. Makeup, a dress, and stockings. Chloe's a lucky girl_ tonight. She entered her room once again and picked up her outfit for the night, slipping both stockings on and the dress in a matter of minutes.

When that was done, she absent-mindedly picked up her phone from its place on her bedside table, more out of habit than anything else. However, when she turned the screen on, she saw she had not one but three missed calls, all from Chloe.

"Uh-oh." She said aloud. Multiple missed calls from her girlfriend was _never_ a good thing.

She hit redial. Almost as soon as if began ringing, Chloe picked up.

"Hey Chloe," Max said, "What's up?"

"Max, dude, I'm so sorry."

Max frowned. "What? What's wrong?"

She heard Chloe sigh on the other end of the line.

"I can't make it tonight." Chloe said, frustration and bitterness laced within the cracks in her voice. "My Mom needs me to stay here at the diner; one of the waitresses has gone AWOL and Mom is flipping the fuck out."

"But… what about date night?" Max said, sounding crestfallen.

"We're gonna have to do it another day, sorry Max. Ugh, this sucks." There was the sound of a loud clang, like Chloe had just punched something. "When I next see that waitress I'm gonna go John Rambo on her ass."

Max couldn't help but feel sorry for Chloe, her frustration was evidently far greater than her own. "Ok, just don't, like murder her or anything. Turns out that's frowned upon in most states, and you're gonna owe me _so many_ date nights if you're in jail."

When Chloe next spoke, Max could practically hear the grin she was obviously sporting. "Oh but Max, think of all the sexy prison makeout videos we could sell to horny people on the Internet!"

"Chloe," Max cautioned, "You are not turning me into fetish material."

"Well, you're _my_ fetish." Chloe retorted.

Max smiled fleetingly. "Aww, you're sweet. Now go to work and save Joyce from a mental breakdown."

"You make a good point, I'm probably pushing how long I can make the break I'm on." Chloe replied. "Alright, I'mma go save the day, love you."

"I love you too."

The line went dead, and Max let out a long sigh. _Now what?_

She looked down at her outfit. _Well, this was pointless._ She bent down and rolled the stockings down her legs, tossing them in a heap on the floor. A few moments later, the dress shared the same fate. Max left them lying there, and grabbed a pair of sweatpants and an old, baggy shirt from her closet.

After pulling them on roughly, she collapsed into the bed in a huff. _I know it's not her fault, but this seriously sucks ass._ She took up a cushion, hugging it to her chest. _I was really looking forward to tonight…_ her inner voice complained bitterly, her previously good mood dashed to ruins.

After wallowing in self pity for a while, in which she achieved nothing but staring at the floor and scowling, a small but forceful part of her spoke up. _Well, you do technically have an evening free now. You can either suck it up and make something of it, or stay here and sulk._

"I'm not sulking." Max said, sulkily.

 _Yes you are. How about going to see Kate? You haven't even said hi to her yet since you got back._

"Don't wanna see Kate." She mumbled. "Too miserable."

 _Exactly._ Said the inner voice, which was beginning to sound more and more like Chloe. _You feel shitty, and Kate can cheer you up. Go see her._

"No."

 _Go see her otherwise I'll make you think of Chloe all night._

"Oh fine!" Max grumbled to herself. She got up off the bed and made for the door. It probably was a good idea to visit her friend, she reflected on her way across the corridor. She always enjoyed Kate's company, and she did have a knack for cheering her up, whatever the situation.

Her mood marginally improved by that realisation, she knocked on Kate's door. After waiting for a few seconds with no reply, she knocked again. _Weird, Kate must be out._

She dug her phone out of her pocket and rapidly typed out a message to Kate, asking where she was. A minute of impatient foot tapping later, she received an answer.

 **Kate: Hi Max! I'm out in the woods near the dorm. If you go to the totem pole and head north for about a minute, you'll see a pond with a large pine tree next to it. That's where I am. X**

Max knitted her brows slightly, though her curiosity was piqued. What was Kate doing out in the woods?

After a brief return trip to her room in order to secure a jacket and shoes, Max was on her way. She stepped out of the dormitory, an angle towards the totem pole. When she reached it, she looked up, squinting in the direction of the sun in order to determine which way north was.

 _Let's see, if the sun is setting that way, then north should be… this way. I think._

She set off once again, hoping she'd correctly worked out the directions of the compass. Sure enough, almost exactly a minute later, she saw the pond and large pine tree Kate had described. Kate herself was sat cross-legged at the bottom of the tree, absorbed in her sketchbook.

"Hey Kate!" Max greeted her warmly as she drew closer.

Kate paused her sketching, looked up and smiled at her. "Hi Max."

Max sat down next to the smaller woman, mirroring the way she was sitting. She rested her shoulder against Kate, failing to notice how Kate tensed up a little.

"So what're you doing all the way out here in the woods?" Max asked.

"Oh, just sketching." Kate said. She gestured at the surrounding area. "I find this place is perfect for it."

"It's beautiful." Max agreed, admiring the way the lazy September sunlight trickled down through the pine leaves, and the stillness of the pond next to them.

"Welcome back, by the way." Kate said, smiling gently.

"Thanks. Sorry I didn't come say hi sooner." Max said, feeling rather guilty.

"Don't worry about it. How was your summer?"

Max tilted her head to the side, considering. "It was pretty good. It was nice to see people back in Seattle, and I went to a mountain retreat with my parents that was pretty fun. I got some great photos, too."

Kate immediately perked up at the mention of photos. "Oh you'll have to show me them sometime. I love your photos, you have such a good eye for capturing natural moments."

Max smiled bashfully. "Thanks Kate. So what did you get up to over summer break?"

Kate pondered for a second. "Actually, not much. I just stayed with my family, really. Though it kind of felt like they were still treating me like a China doll after… after last year. At times I felt like screaming at them that I'm not some poor, broken bird. I made it through, and despite everything, I'm stronger now. And I'll always be grateful to you, Max, for helping me out so much."

Max looped an arm round Kate's shoulders, pulling her into a one-armed hug. "You are _so_ strong, Kate. You don't need to be grateful either, I was only doing what I should have been doing already: looking out for my friend. I just didn't see how bad it was for you, because I was so distracted with Chloe and everything."

Kate then surprised her, by leaning into the ongoing hug, and resting the side of her head against Max's.

Max didn't know it, but even from that one simple action, Kate's heart was beating a mile a minute.

"You and Chloe are so lucky to have each other." Kate said. "I- I really wish I had what you have."

Max rubbed her shoulder, and Kate suddenly had to fight hard not to shiver.

"Don't worry Kate, it'll happen for you. I'm sure we can find you a nice guy." Max said.

"Or girl…" Kate mumbled, before she could stop herself. When she realised what she'd said, her eyes opened wide as dinner plates, and she clamped her mouth shut.

If Max noticed her discomfort, she didn't show it. "Or girl." She echoed Kate, like nothing had even happened, like it wasn't a huge thing for Kate to admit, even if it was partly for herself.

Max turned to face her, with a gentle smile, seemingly immune to the fact that their faces were only inches apart.

 _Does she not really not know what she's doing to me?!_ The inside of Kate's head screamed. Her gaze zeroed in on Max's lips, and an almost overpowering urge to taste them hit her like an avalanche. After a few seconds of fighting this urge, she dimly became aware that Max was talking.

"…Kate? Hey, I think you zoned out there." Max prompted. "I was asking if there was anyone you had in mind? You know, anyone you like?"

A hurricane of butterflies erupted in her stomach. "I-I-I don't… maybe…" She found herself saying.

"Ooh, who is this mystery person you covet, if you don't mind me asking? Hey, maybe Chloe can play matchmaker, 'cos, weirdly, she likes to do that-"

Something shifted inside of Kate, and she found she couldn't bear it, not even for one more second.

She leaned forward, and kissed Max.

It only lasted a second, but all Kate could think about was how soft Max's lips were. That is, before the utter terror of what she had just done gripped her tighter than a boa constrictor.

And then, that second was over, as Max reeled backwards, an expression of pure shock on her face. "Oh." Was all she managed to say.

The terror Kate was feeling bubbled over, and she stood bolt upright, visibly trembling from head to toe. "Oh god, Max, I'm so sorry! I didn't- I didn't mean to- you were so close and I… I'm sorry!"

Kate did the only thing she could think of: she ran.

She only realised she was crying when she was already halfway to the dorm.

Max sat there, in shock, for a full minute after Kate left before she snapped out of it. _Shit, I should go after her._

She scrambled to her feet, and set off back towards the dorm. When she arrived, she couldn't have been too far behind Kate, but she was nowhere to be found. _She's probably in her room._ Max reasoned.

She approached Kate's door, listening intently for any sign of her. When she heard nothing, she stepped up and knocked.

"Kate? Kate, sweetie it's Max. I'm not angry, just, talk to me? Please?"

There was no answer. She tried again, but was met with nothing but the sound of silence.

She sighed, and buried her head in her hands.

"Fuck."

 **Author's Note:** Oh my! A cliffhanger? Major drama? Plot?! What the hell is going on here, I thought this was just meant to be fluffy romance, right? Anyway, I promise the next chapter will be happier than this one, I think both you and the characters deserve it after this. It might take a little while longer to write, so please just sit tight and I'll try and have it out as soon as I can. See you guys next time, peace out.


	20. Grace

**Grace**

 **or**

 **The Ben Affleck Solution**

Chloe walked out of the Two Whales Diner, her jacket slung over one shoulder. She was whistling nonchalantly to herself; her and Joyce had managed to contain the disaster that was a waitress going AWOL without too much difficulty. It had been stressful, sure, but they had somehow gotten through it, and Joyce was even prepared to give her some more responsibilities around the place to boot.

All in all, Chloe was proud of herself, a rare feeling for her. She dug her phone out of her pocket, anxious to tell Max how the rest of her shift had gone. However, when she turned her phone on, she found she had no less than twenty missed calls, all from Max.

"Oh fuck." She said, and hit redial.

Max picked up on the second ring, and before she even said a word Chloe could tell she was freaking out.

"Chloe! Chloe I'm so sorry! I don't know what to do and she's not responding and I didn't mean for it to happen and oh god things are so fucked up and-"

Chloe's eyes widened. What the hell could have gone wrong so quickly in the span of a couple of hours?

"Max. Max! MAX!" She shouted, when the torrent of words pouring from her girlfriend didn't stop. "Max, calm down. Just breathe, alright? Something's obviously fucked, just, tell me what it is, OK?"

She heard Max take a deep, shaking breath. "Kate kissed me."

"She what? _"_ Chloe's eyes almost bugged out of her head.

"I know! I went to go hang out with her when the thing with your work happened, and we were just talking and stuff, and I asked her about her love life. She said she might be into girls as well, and that she might have a crush on someone, and then she kissed me!"

"Wow." Was all Chloe could say. Then, "Didn't she she had it in her."

She could almost see Max's undoubtedly incredulous expression.

"Wait, so, you're not angry?"

"Dude, it was only a kiss, and I'm not the jealous type. At least, not anymore. Besides, I totally told you she had a crush on you, before you left."

"I should've listened to you." Max sighed. "I feel like I led her on or something. I mean, she ran off crying, and I haven't been able to find her since!"

Chloe closed her eyes. This evening was turning out to be a doozy. "Alright listen, stay there, I'mma drive up there right now, and we can sort this shit out."

"But... you've been working and stuff. Aren't you tired?"

Chloe laughed, "Definitely, and all I wanna go do is lie down and pass out. But if we don't get this shit over and done with _right now_ , it'll go on forever and be hella awkward. And I don't know about you, but I _really_ don't wanna deal with that."

She heard Max sigh over the phone.

"You're probably right."

"Of course I am. Now stay there, and wait for me, 'k? I love you."

Another sigh. "I love you too."

Fifteen minutes later, Chloe was knocking on Max's door. A second later, it opened, revealing a frazzled looking Max.

Chloe cocked an eyebrow. "Dude, you look like shit."

Max rolled her eyes and flipped her off, though Chloe could tell it wasn't serious. She wandered into the room. "So, you got any idea where she is?"

Max ran a hand through her hair. "Well, I'd say no, but since it's gotten dark, there has been a light on in her room."

"Awesome. Let's go over there." Chloe grinned. She made to go back out into the corridor, but Max grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks.

"Chloe wait! What are we gonna say? I mean, don't we need, like, a plan or anything? If we just blunder in there we might make things worse! Like what if we say the wrong thing and she ends up hating us forever?"

An odd, half smile tugged at Chloe's lips. "This _is_ Kate we're talking about, right? Kate, who I think _literally_ doesn't have the capacity to hate anything for five minutes, let alone forever."

Max's mouth had been open to respond, but when Chloe finished speaking, she closed it. The blue-haired punk did raise a good point. "I guess that makes sense." She eventually said. "But I still think we need to at least have some kind of game plan here."

"Alright." Chloe nodded. "How about we lead in with the fact that we don't think she's really done anything bad here? Like, that should defuse her a little bit. Since, from what you've told me, she's freaking out because she thinks she broke some big fucking taboo or whatever. And if make her understand that, well, we don't mind, it'll placate her. Probably."

After thinking for a few moments, Max nodded. "OK. That works." She shook out her limbs, trying to release some of the nervous tension she was feeling. "Let's get over there before I start freaking out too much to function."

"Kate?" Max said, knocking cautiously on the door, "Kate, it's Max. Please open up? We just wanna talk. I'm not mad, I promise."

As before, there was no answer.

Max looked at Chloe, and shrugged in an _I have no idea what to do_ way.

After releasing an aggravated sigh, Chloe decided to take charge. "Kate? It's Chloe. Open up or I'm gonna draw a bunch of dicks on your whiteboard out here. And if you don't open after that, I'mma plant my boot up your ass!"

Max looked at her, her jaw slack in shock. "I thought we _weren't_ meant to freak her out?"

All she received back was a shrug.

Then, to Max's utter surprise, the door, ever so slowly, swung open.

Kate was stood in the room, her hands clasped in front of her chest, looking like she was going through a million emotions a minute. Her hair had half fallen out of her bun, tumbling in thick locks down over her shoulders.

"H-hey." She stammered.

Max crossed the distance between them in under a second, and wrapped Kate up in the biggest hug she could possibly give. Kate squeaked and stiffened up at first, but after a few seconds had gone by, she relaxed slightly.

"I'm sorry, Max." She said.

"Don't be." Max said. "Neither of us are mad, and if anything I should be apologising for making you freak out."

They broke apart, and Max gave her hand a squeeze, accompanied by an encouraging smile. "You wanna sit down and we can talk?"

Kate nodded. "S-sure."

The three of them sat on Kate's bed, with Chloe on the end, Max at the head, and Kate sat in the middle of them.

"So," Max began, " You've probably got some kind of crush on us. Or me."

Kate nodded, staring at the floor.

"Kate, it's perfectly natural to have crushes, seriously, don't beat yourself up about it. And I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable by asking you questions about your love life that, in hindsight, clearly made you hella uncomfortable."

"It's fine." Kate said in a small voice. "I still shouldn't have kissed you though."

Max smiled, almost apologetically. "Kate, we don't mind. Seriously. Chloe doesn't mind, I don't mind. It was … just a bit of a shock at the time."

"I'm actually impressed you had the balls to do it." Chloe piped up. "Because seriously, you're like, the meekest person alive. No offense."

"None taken." Kate said. She appeared to be relaxing slightly, now that she knew neither woman blamed her for anything.

Chloe nudged her conspiratorially.

"I'm not surprised you had to make the first move though. Max is chronically enfeebled when it comes to girls liking her. Seriously, back when we first got together, I literally had to dare her to kiss me, I shit you not."

"Oh come on!" Max protested. "I'm not that bad!"

"Max, I love you, but you really are."

Max stuck her tongue out, and Kate giggled.

Chloe grinned. "Cool. Now that the awkward shit is out of the way, Kate, how was it?"

Kate looked confused. "How was what?"

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Do I have to spell it out? The kiss!"

Kate's mouth fell open in shock. She tried to respond, but all that came out was "I- I- I- "

An exasperated sigh made its way out of Max. "Great. You've broken her." She turned her attention to the small brunette. "Kate? You OK?"

When no answer was forthcoming, Max gestured at Chloe in a " _well, now what?"_ manner.

For the second time in a minute, Chloe rolled her eyes. "Alright, fuck it. C'mere." She said to Kate. She took hold of the back of her head, flashed her a vivacious smile, and pressed her lips up against Kate's in a deep, heated kiss.

Her actions appeared to shock Kate out of her previous state, as she at first let out a muffled squeak against Chloe's lips. When Chloe didn't relent, Kate almost appeared to melt; her eyes fluttered closed and she kissed back, hard.

Chloe, unsurprisingly, didn't seem to mind.

When the two broke apart, Kate was panting, Chloe was smirking, and Max's jaw was still hanging.

"Yup, still got the magic." Chloe boasted. "What?" She said innocently, when she saw Max's expression.

Max blinked. "Well, I wasn't exactly expecting you to shove your tongue down one of my best friend's throat."

Chloe simply shrugged. "I wanted to find out what she's like to kiss. And I gotta say, pretty good." She turned to Kate. "How was it for you?" She said with a grin.

Kate appeared to still be slightly in shock, as it took her a few seconds to respond. "It was, uh, it was nice." She eventually said, with a hint of blush colouring her cheeks.

"Better than Max?" Chloe probed.

Kate looked down. "I – I don't know." Then, "M-maybe I should … compare." She whispered. She raised her gaze until it met Max's.

" _Oh."_ Said Max, as Kate's suggestion clicked in her brain. "You sure?" She asked.

Kate nodded. "I'm pretty sure." She said, in a frankly adorable attempt at flirting.

Max smiled at her, and shuffled closer. She reached up and cupped Kate's cheek with her hand. She leaned in, eyes closed and lips parted. A second before their lips touched, she felt Kate's breath shudder in anticipation. The instant lips met, fireworks went off somewhere in the lower half of Kate's abdomen, and she let out a moan. The kiss wasn't as heated as the one she had received from Chloe, but it still left her breathless, and when it ended, wanting more.

At the sight of Kate's half lidded eyes and hungry expression, Chloe whistled. "I think Max wins that one." She said, conceding defeat.

Max grinned victoriously, and once more stuck her tongue out at Chloe. She turned her attention back to Kate, who had gone almost disturbingly quiet. "Kate, hon, you okay?" She gently prompted.

Kate looked up at her, eyes full of doubt and confusion. "What if it doesn't go away?" She said. "What if, these feelings or this crush or whatever it is, just doesn't go away? I'm scared that it won't, and I'll end up pushing you and Chloe away because of it."

When Max was stymied for a response, she pressed on. "Max, you're my best friend, and I'm terrified of losing that. The worst part is, I don't even know if what I'm feeling is real, or if it's just part of me realising I like women too. Heck, it could just be me wanting to fu- I mean, sleep with you, because to be completely honest, I think I've been suppressing some … umm, pretty lustful feelings the past few months, and I have no idea what to do anymore."

She fell silent, feeling embarrassed by her outburst.

The silence between reigned for several long, awkward moments, before Chloe cleared her throat.

"I, uh, I think I might have a solution." She said. "Or at least, like, a temporary one, maybe."

She rubbed the back of her neck, and locked eyes with both of them in turn. "Have either of you seen Chasing Amy?" She asked.

Max tilted her head, her brows knitted together in confusion. "No?"

Kate simply shook her head. "I don't think I've heard of it."

"Huh." Chloe said. "Well, it's a movie about this lesbian chick played by Joey Lauren Adams, and there's this scene with her, Ben Affleck and Jason Lee, who's also gay, but Affleck isn't, and they're trying to decide what to do and..." She trailed off, noticing the growing looks of bewilderment on the other women's faces. "OK, wrong approach, ignore all that. My point is, what if, and bear with me here... what if we all just fuck?"

Two jaws dropped.

"I know, hella crazy suggestion, right?" Chloe continued, determined not to be derailed. "But honestly, how about we all just sleep together and see how it goes from there? Because I'm pretty sure that Kate needs to get laid otherwise she'll literally explode, and if we fuck away all the tension, we'll all have clearer heads to sort through feelings and shit. Right?" She ended, looking expectantly at the other two.

It was a good thirty seconds before anyone responded. Surprisingly, it was Kate who went first.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think Chloe might be right." She said.

Chloe's eyes widened. "Wait, really?"

Kate nodded. "Mhm. I- I don't know why, but some part of me is telling me that it makes sense. Max?"

Max blinked a few times. "Uh. I literally have no idea what to say. I guess? I mean, I think I'd be OK with it, but only if that's what we all really want."

"Obviously I'm down with it." Chloe said. "I think it'd be pretty fucking hot, too."

Kate squared her shoulders. "I-I want it." She said. "I want us to do that." She repeated, in a stronger voice a second later."

Max tilted her head. "A lesbian three-way is _so_ not how I thought tonight was gonna go." She observed dryly. She sighed. "Sure, I'm in."

She cast her gaze down at the bed. "Though if we're doing this, we should move to my room. It has a bigger bed, and knowing how much Chloe likes to move around, we'll need the extra room."

A few minutes later, the three of them were sat on Max's bed. Now that they were there, and the imminent prospect of what was about to happen lay heavily on their minds, they found an air of awkwardness suffused the room like a heavy smog, blocking any action from taking place.

The three of them were all fidgeting in various manners; Max was playing with the corner of a cushion, Chloe was twirling her hair, and Kate was bunching a section of the sheets together in her hands.

Max sighed. "So where do we start? Because I have no idea what happens with, uh, this kind of thing." She twisted her lips to the side. "Chlo?"

Chloe looked up. "Dude, I've never done this before either." She broke eye contact and resumed fidgeting with her hair.

"I might have an idea." Kate said. The other two looked at her. Instead of saying anything, Kate shuffled on her knees over to Max, and laid her arms over Max's shoulders, clasping her hands around the back of her neck. "Can I?" She said, leaning in ever so slowly.

Max swallowed. "S-sure."

Kate's lips met hers, and instantly, the awkward atmospheric vanished, as if it had been sucked out of a window suddenly. Max relaxed into the kiss, letting her lips slide luxuriously over Kate's. When they parted for air, Kate surprised her by nipping at Max's lower lip.

" _Wowser..."_ Max whispered. She felt a hand on her lower back, and turned her head to see Chloe had joined them. She brought her fingers up to Max's chin and tilted it up slightly so she could kiss her.

As Max melted in the the familiar feeling of Chloe's kisses, she felt something warm and wet on the side of her neck, and realised it was Kate's mouth, kissing slowly down her jugular. She broke away from Chloe momentarily, her breath hitching in her throat. "You're eager." She half whispered to Kate.

Kate gazed up at her. "Can you blame me?" She smiled.

Max grinned back. "I guess not." She retorted, and descended on Kate, reciprocating what Kate had been doing a few seconds earlier. Chloe joined her, and together they pushed Kate down onto the bed, leaving wet trails across the flushed skin of her neck.

Kate was in heaven. She squeezed her eyes shut, low moans making their way out of her as Max and Chloe attacked her neck. A storm of surging desire was forming within her, making her rub her thighs together in need. Her skin was so sensitive every touch felt like fire, and when Max's fingers dipped under her blouse and ran lightly across her ribs, she felt like electric sparks were running along her skin.

She heard the rustle of clothes, and opened her eyes to see Chloe had removed her shirt and tossed it away. Kate bit her lip; Chloe's body was exquisitely defined, and the way she held herself gave off an air of lithe power, ready to take her and do as she pleased. It was an enticing notion.

She was yanked back into the moment by Max claiming her lips again. The pink-haired woman positioned herself on top of Kate, one hand caressing her face, and the other roaming up and down her side.

Kate's own hands found themselves down by Max's hips. Feeling daring, she let them circle around to the curve of Max's petite-yet-firm ass, where she gave it a hesitant squeeze. Max smiled into the kiss, and rolled her hips against Kate's, letting her know she approved.

"Y'know, Max likes it if you spank her a l'il." Came Chloe's voice.

Kate opened her eyes and turned her head in Chloe's direction, and saw she had somehow divested herself of her pants in the time her and Max had been occupied, leaving her in a matching set of black, form fitting bra and panties.

"Go on, give it a try." Chloe nodded towards Max's butt.

Kate lifted her hand and, after a last glance at Chloe for confirmation, brought it down with a decisive smack. She was rewarded instantly, with another roll of Max's hips and a "Mnffh" noise from where Max's face was buried against her neck. Kate decided she liked that noise _very_ much.

She spanked her again, hoping to repeat the result. Instead, Max growled and bit Kate's neck. Kate gasped, she had never felt anything like it. Though before she could ask Max to do it again, her lips were covered by Chloe's and she closed her eyes again, lost in sensation.

She felt two pairs of hands descend on the buttons of her blouse, making short work of them. In a matter of seconds, it was undone and flung open, exposing the porcelain skin of Kate's upper body. She suddenly felt a little embarrassed about her plain white bra; it wasn't exactly "sexy", though the two women busily undressing her didn't seem to care, so she cast the thought aside.

She felt fingers, which could only be Max's, scrabbling at the button on her jeans. She went to help, but found her arms pinned above her head by Chloe. A second later, Max popped the button, and impatiently pulled the jeans down Kate's slender legs.

 _Oh God, this is really happening._ She thought. She squirmed in anticipation of what must be about to happen, a deep flush forming on her skin from cheeks to breasts. But when nothing further happened, she opened her eyes to find Max gazing down at her.

"Kate, before we go any further, are you absolutely sure you want this?" She asked. "Because we don't wanna do _anything_ you might be uncomfortable with, so if you are, just say so and we'll stop, 'k?"

Kate nodded determinedly. "I will, but Max, I do want this. I _really_ want this, and you and Chloe." She took both of their hands, placing Max's on her breast, and Chloe's on her thigh.

"I want this."

Thin morning sunlight beamed through the blinds Max had been too preoccupied to close the previous night. It travelled across the room, where it hit the skin of three nude, entangled young women, enveloping them in a soft, golden bloom.

Over the next few minutes, as the sunlight slowly grew in intensity, one of them eventually stirred.

Kate yawned, opened her eyes, and blinked several times to bring the world back into focus. She was warm, far warmer than she normally was, and a glance behind her let her know why.

 _Oh right._

Max was behind her, spooning her gently with one arm thrown over her waist. And nestled behind her, was Chloe, who was unknowingly repeating Max's actions. A mental image of a train pulling gigantic spoons instead of cars materialised in her mind, and she had to fight the sudden urge to giggle.

When the temptation was over, she turned her mental gaze inwards, probing her feelings for any sort of feedback from the previous night. She discovered she felt a little odd, and couldn't figure out why. Physically, she was completely satisfied, and a small blush crept into her cheeks at the memories of how that satisfaction had been achieved.

But still, something was off.

Feeling restless, she gingerly extricated herself from Max's grip and got up, taking care to make as little noise as possible. She picked up her clothes from the previous night and put them on silently. Then, not knowing what to do, she sat on Max's chair, gazing idly at the specks of dust dancing slowly in the midst of all the shafts of light penetrating the room.

She thought for several long minutes, before a movement in the corner of her eye brought her attention back to the physical world. Max was sitting up in bed, and as Kate watched, she yawned and stretched luxuriously, raising her arms above her head and arching her back. Despite her still being bereft of any form of clothing, Kate was surprised to find Max's form wasn't having the same effect on her it had previously.

 _Huh._ She thought.

Max yawned again, and opened her eyes. "Hey Kate." She mumbled sleepily. "You ok?"

The brunette thought for a second, then nodded. "Yeah… I think so." She swallowed. "I think I figured some things out as well, if you don't mind talking."

Max sat up further, "OK," she said. "Just let me get some clothes on and wake this one up." She reached down and gently shook Chloe's shoulder. "Chloe, sweetie, you need to wake up."

Chloe's eyes snapped open. "I swear it isn't mine- oh, hey Max."

"Hey." Max leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "Kate's got some stuff she wants to talk about, if you don't mind."

Chloe yawned. "Sure." She propped herself up against the photo wall, and laced her hands together behind her head. "Shoot." She winked at Kate.

"Uh, Chlo?" Max interjected. "You wanna put some clothes on?"

Chloe looked down at her still very naked body. She shrugged. "Nah, I'm good."

Max rolled her eyes. "Well, I tried." She said to Kate. She pulled on underwear, a baggy sleep shirt, and pyjama shorts. "OK, I think we're good. Kate?"

"Yeah. I think I just need to talk, and get everything out at once, if that's OK." When she received encouraging nods and smiles in return, she squared her shoulders, and took a deep breath.

"I feel good, I think. Like, physically good. My muscles ache and I'm a little sore, but I do feel good, and I don't think I've ever been so satisfied." She blushed. "And yes, I'm definitely talking about what you two did to me."

Max and Chloe, without even looking at each other, high-fived.

Kate giggled, and continued. "But as good as I feel physically, there's something just missing. I honestly thought doing something so intimate with both of you would clear up my feelings, and we all could have had some kind of relationship that went beyond being platonic. And it has cleared up my feelings, just not in the way I thought."

She sighed wistfully, but with a smile. "I- I think Chloe might have been right. Maybe I'd just bottled things up and all I needed to do was, well, get laid. I thought I was falling for you, Max, but I think I was just in lust with you, rather than... anything more. I'm sorry if that seems shallow, but I don't think a relationship based on just that would be the right idea."

Kate smiled. "Though I definitely don't regret doing it with you. You two have helped me _so much_ , and I do feel way different. I feel way more confident, both as a person, and in terms of sex and my own sexuality. The Kate from a year ago definitely couldn't have done this, so, thank you. Both of you."

She looked down, fidgeting with a strand of hair, but smiling despite herself. "I love the both of you, I really do, but not in a romantic way. So, maybe this should just be a one time thing, and can we all still be friends if you're not mad at me?" She finished slightly awkwardly, still looking down at her lap.

She heard a rustle, and was suddenly met by a fierce hug from Max. She squealed, and almost fell off the chair.

"Kate." Max whispered. She sounded like she was about to cry. "Of course we're not gonna be mad. And if you just want to be friends we're fine with that too. We love you, Chloe and I, and we're always gonna look out for you, no matter what.

" _We know that it's only human_ _  
_ _We know that it's only love_ _  
_ _We know that its far too close to home_ _  
_ _To see it now."_

Kate and Max turned their heads towards Chloe, who was sat on the bed, an unidentifiable expression on her face.

The punk winked, and continued reciting. __

 _"_ _Love all we can before_ _  
_ _We learn all we came for_ _  
_ _Learn all we can before_ _  
_ _The road leads to home._ "

Max's eyes widened in surprise. "Chloe, that was beautiful. Is it from something?"

"Would you believe me if I told you it's from a heavy metal album?"

Max shrugged. "After the last day or so, I'd believe anything."

"I agree with Max. That was really profound." Kate added.

"Yeah, and non-sweary." Max finished. "Seriously, I think this is the longest I've ever gone without hearing you say _something_ scandalous."

"Cunt." Chloe said, after a long moment of careful consideration.

"And just like that, the magic's gone." Max dryly stated. She turned to Kate. "So, what now?"

Kate thought for a second. "Well, I'm going to shower. I probably don't smell all that great after last night. After that, I'm free as the wind."

"I have an idea!" Chloe enthused, practically bouncing.

"Let me guess: it involves bacon." Max crossed the room and laid her arms around Chloe's neck. "I love you, but you're totally predictable."

Chloe's enthusiasm didn't even waver. "You're damn right it involves bacon." She looked past Max's shoulder at Kate. "So, you go shower, then we all get breakfast at the Two Whales? I'm buying."

Kate grinned.

"It's a date."

 **Author's Note:** So, that's the end of this 5 chapter arc we've had going. I really, *really* hope you enjoyed it, and that it wasn't terrible. Honestly, I've been pretty nervous about this chapter, as I know OT3's can be a slightly contentious issue. I've fretted quite a bit over getting this chapter right, as it deals with some pretty complex stuff I think (and I'm still not entirely sure I've got it right). But anyway, I've always maintained that this is a Pricefield fic, and that's the way it's gonna stay. I just wanted to give Kate some development, and this is definitely not the last you're gonna see of her. I have plans *laughs maniacally*.

The lyrics Chloe quoted are from Devin Townsend's song Grace, which is also where I got the title of this chapter. Go listen to it, it's amazing. In fact, listen to all of Devin's stuff. He's a fucking genius.

Also, yes, they all totally fucked. So, one of you dear readers gets to say "Called it!". You know who you are.  
Speaking of, I'm gonna write a side chapter with the actual threesome, because writing about filthy lesbian sex is always fun. Though it'll be a while before it's out, I'm afraid.

Anyway, next chapter. The big one (yes, that's still to come). It'll be out on October 9th, hopefully. If it's delayed, I have a very good reason as to why it might take longer, I promise. As a little hint, it's a huge romantic chapter. See you next time, peace out.

 **EDIT:** I got a couple of messages saying they wouldn't be reading anymore and that I "ruined" Kate for apparently turning this into an OT3. Which, fair enough, you're entitled to have your opinion. But honestly, to those people, I don't think you read the chapter properly, or got to the end (or even understood it). This chapter is and was always about Kate realising she doesn't want a 3-person relationship with Max & Chloe, and going back to being platonic. There's **is no** OT3 here, Max and Chloe will go back to focusing on their relationship and Kate will eventually find someone else. I respect your decision to stop reading, but I disagree with the reasons why.


	21. Golden Hour

**Golden Hour**

" _Chloe, please don't be mad. But I don't think I can see you for a few days."_

 _The words cut deep into her. "Why?" She says, looking crestfallen. "Have I done something wrong?" She adds. She doesn't understand why._

" _No, you haven't." Max says. "I just need to do something, and you can't know what, at least, not right now. I need you to trust me on this."_

 _She caresses Chloe's cheek. "Please, Chlo. It'll be worth it, I promise."_

 _Chloe finds herself capitulating, even though she doesn't want to. "Alright." A voice says, and she's surprised to find it's hers. "But I'm gonna hold you to that."_

 _Max kisses her. "I love you." She says. And then she's walking away, leaving a confused Chloe in her wake._

Chloe blinked, and sat up in bed. She had been dreaming again, the same dream she'd been having for nine days in a row now. Nine days since she had seen her girlfriend of one year. She checked her phone, noting the date. It was the ninth of October, their official one year anniversary.

 _Yeah, one year, and I don't even know what she's up to or if we're even bothering doing anything._ The thought left a surprising amount of resentment lingering inside her. She tried to push it aside, failed, and groaned in frustration.

"The fuck, Max?" She said out loud. "It's not like today is important or anything..."

She fished Max's present out from under her bed, staring at it wistfully. The lens of an expertly refurbished 1986 Polaroid stared blankly back at her. She had taken a couple of test shots already, just to confirm it worked as desired. She had included the photos as a little extra gift, to give Max a little "incentive".

She turned the camera over and studied the bottom of it. A small metal plaque had been attached, by her, with great care and a powerful adhesive. On the plaque it read "For Max. Forever My Superhero."

In spite of her annoyance, Chloe smiled. They had been through so much since they had reconnected, some of it bad, like the craziness and trauma of the events of a year ago, and some good. Chloe thought of the good, and a series of images flashed through her mind; lying on the ground in the junkyard, hand in hand, staring up at a vivid blue sky. A stolen kiss after a night of investigating. Max's face after the first time they made love.

She shook her head, and blinked. She couldn't get lost in the past now, it would just sour her mood. She rolled out of bed and stood up. Her muscles burned pleasantly as they stretched, a reminder of last night's workout. She wandered over to her wardrobe, absent mindedly tugging the edge of her underwear down where it had begun to ride up where it shouldn't.

After retrieving her work uniform from the midst of various tank tops and ripped up jeans, she ambled over to the bathroom, and lazily began her daily routines. As she brushed her teeth, she gazed into the mirror, noting she'd have to re-dye her hair soon.

She stepped into the shower and turned the faucet, sighing happily when the hot water hit her skin. Although all she wanted to do was stay in the hot, steaming torrent and waste the day away, the real world awaited. She washed quickly, and with a slight look of regret, turned the water off. Chloe stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself, shivering as the cooling air of October touched her exposed skin.

Upon re-entering her room, she dropped the towel in a heap and collapsed back onto the bed, uncaring that her wet hair was soaking through the pillow. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the LED notification light on her phone blinking insistently. After poking the screen to bring it back to life, her heart jumped, and began performing a violent jazz solo against her ribcage. The blinking light had, of course, been a message from Max. After deliberating for a long moment, curiosity won out over irritation at Max for taking so long to text, and she opened the message.

 **Max: Hey sweetie, happy anniversary. I know I suck for not texting u for so long, but pls pls don't be too mad at me :(. I know u have work today, but when u finish, come to the lighthouse? I have something to show u. x**

Even though Chloe thought the message wasn't quite apologetic enough, she couldn't deny her curiosity was aroused. Had Max been planning something all this time? She wondered to herself.

Any further pondering however, was cut short by Joyce calling up from downstairs, asking if she was ready to go. "Coming, Mom!" Chloe yelled back. She grabbed her bag, and moved to place the camera in it, before hesitating slightly in a moment of indecision. After another moment, she decided against taking it with her, just in case something might happen to it while she was at work.

 _I can always come back for it later,_ she thought. She threw on her increasingly worn and now almost threadbare leather jacket, took one last look around her room to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything, then quickly descended the stairs to where her mom was waiting.

Work seemed to simultaneously pass in a blur and also last forever. Chloe found herself on autopilot for most of it, lost as she was in her own head with thoughts of Max. The resentment she had been feeling that morning mostly disappeared throughout the day, replaced with a clinging need to see Max again. Though, an ember of it still remained, lodged deep in the back of her mind, waiting for a flame to bring it back to life.

She re-read Max's message at least a hundred times throughout the day, wondering what Max had in store for her. It got to a point where Joyce threatened to throw her phone in the deep fryer if she so much as brought it out of her pocket again. Chloe grumbled, but acquiesced, although she still couldn't stop thinking about it.

It was a blessing then, when six o'clock rolled around, and Chloe was finally free to go. She clocked out as quickly as possible, wished Joyce goodbye, and tore out of the diner, heading towards her truck in a hurricane of nervous energy.

It only took four minutes to arrive back at her house, which she idly noticed was probably a record. She hadn't even had time to listen to one song on her ancient car stereo. She killed the engine and stepped out onto the drive, heading for the front door. She unlocked it, and swung it open. She immediately noticed a small, rectangular object lying on the floor. On closer inspection, it turned out to be a polaroid. It was of Max, smiling gently, the lighthouse visible behind her. She had obviously taken it earlier that day, and snuck over to Chloe's in order to post it through the letterbox.

Chloe grinned, and stashed it in her jacket pocket, now fully convinced that Max had been playing one hell of a long game.

She barrelled up the stairs, stripping off her uniform as she went. She flung it haphazardly into the wash basket sat on the landing, before bursting into her room. She went straight to her wardrobe, in search of an appropriate outfit. After deliberating for a long while, and tossing many items of clothing onto the floor, Chloe eventually settled on a pair of grey jeans that hugged her figure enough to show off her long legs, and a white dress shirt, unbuttoned just enough to give her a hint of cleavage.

Next, she visited the bathroom, in search of her make-up. It took a few minutes, but eventually she found an eyeliner pencil that was in decent condition, some mascara that she remembered didn't make her look too much like a panda, and some cherry-red lipstick. When she was finished applying everything, she inspected herself in the mirror. She gave it her best bedroom eyes, pleased with the effect she created.

"Girl, you're a knockout." She said to herself.

Satisfied with her appearance, she returned briefly to her room and grabbed the camera, placing it carefully in her bag. Then, she left the house once more, and set off for the lighthouse.

The sun had just begun to set when she arrived, bathing everything around her in a fuzzy golden glow. It looked almost painterly, she mused as she shut off the engine. The lighthouse was a few minute's walk from the parking lot, and as she walked, Chloe became increasingly grateful for the cooling temperatures of fall. If it had been any warmer she would have been sweating like a Canadian after too much Chipotle.

As she neared the lighthouse, her heart rate sped up, and not just because of the brisk pace she was walking at. Just another couple of corners, and she would reach the end of the trees, where Max would undoubtedly be waiting. Rather than anticipate what she might say or see, Chloe decided to focus on the ground in front of her feet, concentrating fiercely on keeping her footing. It was just as well she did, after looking down, she noticed she had almost stepped on a butterfly, startlingly blue in colour.

"Sorry little buddy." She said, and gingerly stepped around it. The butterfly seemed happy enough, content to sit on a stick and wave its wings lazily.

After a sharp but brief incline in the terrain, Chloe cleared the trees. She looked up, squinting slightly into the golden evening night. When her eyes adjusted, she froze, jaw dropping open and her breath caught in her throat.

Max was there, stood next to the bench at the edge of the cliff, staring out to sea. Her hair, obviously freshly dyed, was a shimmering, captivating pink, with the light of the sun adding the effect of a bright white corona around the edges. Chloe had the sudden mental image of a pink rose with white petal tips. It seemed appropriate.

Her eyes drifted downwards, taking in what Max was wearing for the first time. It was a dress. _No, not just a dress. A Dress._ Chloe found herself thinking. The cut of the dress was simple enough: it was a full circle, 1940's style tea dress, deep black in colour, with a slit travelling directly up the spine, but it was the design on the fabric that really captured Chloe's attention.

Two streams of butterflies, one pink, one blue, streamed up the dress in an intricate spiral pattern. The two colours began on opposite sides, one on the left and one on the right, each colour travelling up the skirt in a tight spiral until they met at the pleat between skirt and torso. There, the two streams combined in an explosion of colour and wings. The effect was, as Chloe had already proven, jaw dropping.

The sight was so enrapturing, and Max looked so beautiful, that Chloe couldn't help it. "Holy shit." She blurted out.

Max turned at the sound of her voice, and the smile Chloe received could have easily made her fall for Max all over again.

"Chloe!" Max exclaimed, rushing over and flinging herself into the arms of the taller woman.

The impact of Max's greeting drove the breath from her lungs, but Chloe didn't care: she had her Super Max back where she belonged. Her arms automatically enclosed around Max's petite frame, holding her tight and relishing the warmth of her body against her own.

"I'm hella sorry." Max mumbled into Chloe's shirt. "I know you're probably mad at me, but I swear I have a good reason for being so totally fucking lame." Her fists bunched a little more of the shirt. "I was kinda afraid you wouldn't come." She admitted.

"It's fine. Well, no, it was kind of a dick move." Chloe found herself saying. "Just, maybe give me a little more heads-up next time instead of just dropping it on me like a twenty ton sack of shit."

"I will, Chloe, I promise." Max stepped away from the embrace. "OK, so, here's why I couldn't see you. You ready?"

"Are the Prescotts a bunch of assholes?" Chloe answered rhetorically

Max giggled. "Happy anniversary." She said, and tilted her head to the side, brushing her hair away to expose her neck.

Upon seeing what resided there, Chloe's eyes widened until they were doing a remarkably accurate impression of a pair of saucers.

There, just under Max's right ear, was a brightly coloured, stylised tattoo of a doe. It was detailed enough that it looked as if it was about to take life and leap from Max's skin as a real life, Disney-esque cartoon. To top it all off, on the doe's nose was perched a butterfly, featuring exquisitely detailed and vibrant blue wings, shot through with deep black streaks.

"Holy _fucking shit_ , Max!" Chloe exclaimed. "That's hella fucking cool."

Max giggled. "It's us." She explained. "I wanted to get something that, no matter what, no matter where we are or even if we don't work out, meant we would always be together." She gestured at her neck. "I hella wanted to show you, but it needed a few days to heal. So, I'm showing you now. Ta-da!"

Chloe, lost for words, did the only thing she could think of. She kissed Max, long and deep. When they parted, she looked deep into Max's eyes. "Thank you." She said, earnestly. And then, unable to help herself, a mischievous grin crept onto her face. "You look _way_ fucking hot with some ink by the way."

Max blushed. "Thanks. I've been wanting to get something for ages now, I even wrote it in my old journal when I moved back here, but I couldn't think of anything that actually mattered enough until a couple of weeks ago."

"It hella suits you." Chloe said, not without an ounce of pride. "We'll make an inked-up punk out of you yet."

"As if." Max retorted. "I'm still a hipster at heart."

"Search your feelings, young Caulfield. You know it to be true."

Max gave her a good-natured roll of her eyes. "You're such a frigging dork." She took hold of Chloe's hand. "C'mere, I'm not done yet."

She led Chloe to where the cliff-side bench sat, bathed in the golden evening light. Max seemed especially excited, and as the front of the bench came into view, Chloe could see why. On it was sat a bottle of wine and two glasses, and what looked like a small speaker. Next to them, however, was what really caught Chloe's eye.

A brand new leather jacket, with a blue ribbon tied festively to a lapel, lay on the bench. Chloe squealed, practically vibrating in excitement.

"You really needed a new one." Max joked, poking at a particularly threadbare patch of Chloe's old jacket.

Chloe simply hugged her.

They stayed that way, holding each other close, for a few precious minutes, feeling the slowly dying sun warming them, wrapping them in a cocoon of their own love.

Eventually, they broke apart. As they did, Chloe reached for her bag. "I have something for you too." She said with a grin. From the bag, she produced the camera. Max's eyes lit up in delight, an expression Chloe found to be utterly adorable.

" _Wowser!"_ She whispered as she took the camera into her hands, turning it every which way. When she saw the engraving on the bottom she looked up, beaming.

"Do you like-" was all she managed to say before Max's lips smashed into her own. One breath-taking, heart-rate-hiking kiss later, Chloe had her answer. "I'll take that as a yes."

Max smiled.

Fifteen minutes and half a bottle of wine later, the two of them were laid out on the bench, with Max's head resting comfortably on Chloe's shoulder.

"This is perfect." Chloe murmured, watching the sun dip ever closer to the gleaming horizon. She looked down at Max, who had closed her eyes, a contented half-smile on her face. "Seriously, this is like the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me."

"You're worth it." Max replied.

"Flatterer."

"You love it, Little Miss Ego." She said. She picked up her new camera from where it sat next to her in the bench. She turned it so it was facing the two of them, and prepared to depress the shutter button.

Before she could do it, Chloe butted in. "Photobomb!"

Max laughed, and took the picture. In it, she saw a pink-haired girl and a blue-haired girl, grinning like idiots. She showed Chloe, and the two of them shared a laugh at how goofy they looked.

The pink-haired girl rose from the bench, and took three paces. She raised an arm, and beckoned, curling a slender index finger in a _come hither_ motion.

The blue-haired girl obeyed. She stopped one pace in front the pink-haired girl, and placed a hand on her hip, waiting.

The pink-haired girl took out her phone and tapped it, before quickly putting it away. After a second, sound began to emerge from the mini speaker, forming the first few notes of Max's favourite song: _To All of You_ , by Syd Matters.

"Dance with me." She said.

Her partner-in-crime met her eyes, and took a step forward. She reached out, encircling her counterparts waist, pulling her gently into close embrace. Max laid her arms around Chloe's neck, and the two lovers began to slow dance, shifting weight from one leg to the other every second beat.

And there they stayed, lost in each other, two silhouettes framed against the last sliver of fragile light left on the horizon. As the sun died, their lips met, and the world around them vanished, reduced to tiny insignificance.

They were best friends. They were lovers. They were pirates. They had each other, and nothing was ever going to tear them apart.

They were Max and Chloe.

 **Author's Note:** *fidgets awkwardly* So, um. Hi. Yes. This chapter is incredibly hella late, and for that I am sorry. I do have a good excuse though: I got married. On October 8th. There were rings and everything. So, yeah (also marriage is hella fun and I totes recommend it). So, settling into married life is why this chapter is ... uhh... 16 days late (fuck me I didn't think it was that bad).

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter and its metric fuckton of fluff. I honestly don't think I've ever written anything so cheesy. The next chapter will be considerably simpler, as I kinda want to get back to doing smaller vignettes like at the start of this series. I've also run out of ideas for chapters after the next one, so if you want to see something or have any prompts, please please send them to me. Otherwise, see you all next time. Peace out.


	22. Nothing Good Happens After 2am

**Nothing Good Happens After 2am**

"Max?"

" _Mfmnss..._ Yeah?"

"You awake?"

"I am now."

"I can't sleep."

"Duh. I told you not to drink those last two cans of Red Bull."

"But they're hella tasty."

"Chlo, it's not my fault you have like, no impulse control."

"Hmm... Speaking of impulses..."

"Oh God... I think I can tell where this is going."

"You wanna have sex?"

"Chlo, I love you, but we already did that like twice tonight. Any more and I swear I'm gonna get friction burns in a place I _really_ don't wanna get friction burns."

"Boooo."

"Boo all you want, it's not gonna change my mind."

"..."

"Pouting isn't gonna work either."

"Fuck. Well, it was worth a shot."

"Mm... Hey Chlo, I have an awesome idea."

"Ooh, what is it? Another Max master plan?"

"Sure. Wanna know what it is?"

"Hella yes."

"Going back to sleep."

"Dude, you are such a buzz kill."

"Goodnight, Chloe."

"..."

"..."

"Hey, Max?"

"Chloe I swear to god-"

"You- you love me, right?"

"Wha- of course I love you. Why wouldn't I?"

"..."

"Chloe? What's wrong?"

"... I- I had a dream. More like a nightmare, actually. I didn't wanna say, but..."

"It's OK. You can tell me."

"You dumped me. In the dream. You- you said that you'd never get out of Arcadia if you were with me, and that I was holding you back and you'd be better off without me. I begged you to stay, but you just kept repeating you c-couldn't see a future with a girl who works in a fucking diner."

"Chloe. Listen to me: it was just a dream. A pretty fucked up one, but it wasn't real. I'm not going anywhere, and I'd _never_ say anything like that. Ever."

"You sure? Like, you wouldn't think I was dead weight or anything?"

"Of course I'm sure. There's like, a thousand reasons why I've been in love with you for a year."

"..."

"Chlo?"

"Yeah?"

"What's brought this on?"

"Honestly, no idea. Maybe it's just some part of my brain freaking out at being in, I guess a committed relationship. I've never had one like this before. Sure, there was Rachel, but she never reciprocated, and a few boy toys when I thought I still liked guys... But nothing was like what you and me have."

"I can't imagine you with a guy. Like at all."

"Mm. None of them were any good in the sack either. Like this one guy, he seemed to think if he just went as fast as possible he could be a human vibrator."

"What the shit, are you cereal?"

"Yup yup. Though all that meant was he didn't last long, and I got nowhere close."

"Poor your vagina."

"I haven't got to the worst of it. At the end, he pulled out, and for some reason thought I would be down with him fucking spooging on my face."

" _Ewwww!"_

"I was all "Oh _hell_ no", but I couldn't move because he was kneeling over me, so I did the only thing I could think of. I punched him, right in the balls, just as he was about to finish. Long story short, dude ended up with an eyeful of his own man-gravy."

"That's the most disgusting thing I've ever heard. I love it."

"I guess it is a pretty funny story."

"I've never been with a guy. I don't think I'd even know what to do."

"Well, if you're as talented with a dude as you are with my fun bits, probably quite a lot."

"Mm. But I'm all for you."

"Damn right."

"..."

"..."

"Max?"

"Yeah?"

"For real, where do you see us ending up? Like, do you think we'll work out or...?"

"I hope we do. And even if we don't, we'd still be friends, right? But honestly, I'm happy to just take things as they come. I'm happy, with you. And not like that bullshit idea of happiness that Hollywood keeps trying to sell us where you have to be smiling all the damn time or having like a slow motion montage of clichéd crap. So I'm... Content, I guess?"

"...Me too. Like I'm happier than I've been in a hella long time. I actually wanna know what's next instead of thinking the future will just be a ton of bullshit."

"I'm glad you're happy. Though I'd be cool with the future being just, kinda boring. I've had enough trouble from Arcadia Bay to last about three lifetimes."

"Totally agree with you. Life's been... strange so far."

"Yup."

"And hey, speaking of taking things as they come..."

"What- Chloe what're you- _unh._ Is that your hand?"

"Maybe."

"You gonna move it?"

"Nope."

"Chloe... _mm..."_

"Yes Max?"

"Don't stop."

"You got it."

"Wait... move your hand. Left a bit. Now up- _fuck._ That's it... Keep going."

"Max likes? I can always take my hand away if you don't..."

"Don't you dare."

"Just teasing you. Now, what if I do _this_?"

"Oh _fuck._ Please keep doing that..."

"Oh?"

"Y-yeah, I'm getting- _mmm-_ I'm getting close... So close."

"Let me help you with that."

"Chloe, I'm gonna- _oh god-_ I'm gonna... _Ohgodohgodohgod_ oh FUCK!"

"You OK?"

"... Yeah, that was just... Intense."

"Satisfied?"

"Mm, not quite."

"Wha-"

"C'mere."

 **Author's Note:** So this was a super short, super fan-servicey chapter (I'm gonna let you imagine what Chloe was doing to Max at the end there- it was damn fun to write though) but one I had a pretty good time writing. You may have guessed this from earlier chapters, but I like fucking around with formatting and structure, and generally challenging myself. And I gotta say, writing one single, flowing conversation without any descriptive narrative at all was fun to do. I recommend trying it.

Anyway, I'm not sure when the next chapter will be out, or even what it'll be about. Like I have an idea for a Halloween chapter, but it'll in no way be short enough to actually come out on Halloween. Also, if you have anything you wanna see, just drop me a line and I'd be happy to credit you. Peace out.


	23. Chloe No

****Chloe No****

"HOLY SHIT MAX LOOK AT HOW FLUFFY THAT FUCKIN' DOG IS!"

Aside from her eardrums ringing, Max felt Chloe tear away from her hand. She whipped round, to find Chloe already halfway across the street, barrelling towards a dog that was indeed, fluffy as fuck.

"I'MMA PET IT!" She was screaming.

"Goddamn it, not again." Max muttered to herself.

By this time, the owner had noticed and was looking extremely perplexed by the blue-haired blur hurtling towards her dog. The dog, being just a normal dog, simply wagged its tail and woofed a little.

Chloe skidded to a halt, and turned an entirely too toothy grin on the owner. "'Sup, my name's Chloe. Can I pet your dog? It's so fluffy!"

"S-sure." The owner said, entirely unsure of what to make of this blue bombshell of energy.

Chloe wasted no more time with words, and began enthusiastically petting the dog, which licked her in the face.  
"Max! Get over here and pet the dog! It's amazeballs!"

Max sighed and walked over, casting an apologetic look at the poor owner. As she neared, Chloe looked up at her, her eyes wide.

"Can we keep it?"

Flabbergasted, Max looked at the owner again, who by this point looked plainly terrified.

"Chloe... Chloe no-"

Max hummed contentedly, and slid a little further into the warm, bubbly water. She let her hand drape over the side of the bathtub, allowing it to drip languidly onto the floor.  
A splash of water landed on her nose. She opened her eyes, and squinted at Chloe. "Why." She said.

"What'cha doin'?" Chloe responded.

Max blinked. Several times. "... Taking a bath. With you. See us, here, surrounded by water and bubbles?"

Chloe just grinned.

"I can't believe I thought this was a good idea." Max complained to herself.

Chloe's grin didn't even waver. "I thought you just wanted to get me naked and wet."

Max ignored her, and closed her eyes again. An entire, blissful minute went by before her enjoyment was interrupted again.

"Hey Max, check it out, I'm Captain Bubblebeard."

Max didn't even bother opening her eyes. "You've put bubbles all over your face haven't you?"

"Maybe."

"Seen it before."

Chloe pouted. "Spoilsport."

Max ignored her, and went back to relaxing. Or, she would have done, except something hard and pointy poked her in a very uncomfortable place. She squealed, and opened her eyes. "Chloe, what the hell-?"

Chloe shrugged. "I was bored."

"So you __poked__ me? In the __vagina__?" She looked down, and noted the part of Chloe closest to her offended genitalia. "You poked me in the vagina with your __toe__?!"

Chloe smirked. "Yup."

" _ _Why__?!"

"You were being lame."

Max sighed. "I'm getting out."

"Nooo! Please stay, Max." Chloe pleaded, with her best puppy dog eyes. They really were impressive, unfortunately for Max.

"Do you promise to be good?" Max said with a not undue amount of suspicion.

"I'll be __so__ good." Chloe said flirtatiously, pushing her wet, soap-covered breasts together with her elbows for added incentive.

Against her better judgement, Max relented. "OK, I'll believe you." She relaxed back into the water and closed her eyes once more. She felt Chloe shift her weight forward, and an instant later her hands made contact with Max's thighs, and began to massage her legs pleasantly.

" _ _Mmm__." She couldn't help but moan. Chloe's fingers were ungodly talented when it came to massage.

"Enjoying?" Came Chloe's self-satisfied voice.

Max smiled. " _ _Mm__ yeah."

"Good."

Another minute or two went by in companionable silence, with Chloe smoothly working out the tension from Max's legs. Until...

"Hey Max?"

"Yeah?"

"Remember the last time we broke into the gym?" She said, skillfully working the underside of Max's right thigh.

"Sure... Fuck, your hands feel good." Max was practically in a state of bliss.

"You remember what we did in the pool?"

"... Yeah."

Chloe's grin was so evil the Joker would have called it overkill. "Then you know what's coming next."

"Yeah... Wait, wha- CHLOE NO-"

The giant wave of water hit Max directly in the face, and also soaked half the bathroom in the process. Afterwards, Max refused to speak to Chloe for the rest of the evening.

Chloe didn't care. She thought it was hilarious.

She gazed out of the window, absently chewing on the end of a pen that had already been chewed too much. Max was bored, and the dry lecture she was being forced to listen to wasn't helping much either. She looked around the room, hoping something would attract her attention. But it was to no avail. All her classmates looked bored to death, even Kate, who was usually the model of fastidiousness when it came to lectures.

Ironically, the classroom had a perfect view of the dorms, compounding the torturous nature of the lecture by dangling freedom right in front of her face. Max stared longest at her window, wishing more than anything she could be back in her room.

She must have zoned out, as when she next looked, a familiar figure was stood under her window, looking mighty shifty.

Max frowned, and stealthily typed out a message.

 ** **Max: Chlo, what r u doing? U look suspicious af.****

She looked out of the window in time to see Chloe dig her phone out of her pocket and begin typing a reply. Moments later, Max's phone quietly buzzed in her hand.

 ** **Chloe: Balls. Was gna surprise you. Where you at? I can't see you****

 ** **Max: I SEE ALL**** ** **【•】**** ** **_**** ** **【•】****

 ** **Chloe: NO EMOJI****

 ** **Max: :D anyways you probs shouldn't climb up again, the drainpipe is broke****

 ** **Chloe: I'mma climb it. It'll be fine****

 ** **Max: umm...****

 ** **Chloe: Relax I'll test it****

She gave the pipe a yank, and gave an exaggerated thumbs up.

 ** **Chloe: it's fine see?****

 ** **Max: still think u shouldn't****

 ** **Chloe: Go go Chloe climbing powers!****

 ** **Max: Chloe no...****

Chloe managed to make it a good six feet up before a section of the pipe she had been using as a handhold snapped clean off. Chloe's yelp of surprise could be heard clearly even through the window. She teetered, arms windmilling wildly for a second, then fell flat on her ass.

Max giggled. She couldn't help it. She sent another text, unable to keep from feeling slightly smug.

 ** **Max: Told u so****

 ** **Chloe: My ass hurts****

 ** **Max: That's what she said :D****

 ** **Chloe: NO EMOJI****

"I bet you I can do a sick backflip off this rock." Chloe said, flashing a devil-may-care grin at Max.

Max looked up from her book. "You could, but as you're like the least coordinated person I know, you'd just find a way to crack your skull on it somehow, and I'd have to explain to Joyce why you're a) dead and b) a total idiot."

Chloe adjusted the strap of her bikini top, squinting into the intense sunshine of a glorious June afternoon. "I totally could though." She began to clamber up the protruding spur of rock. "C'mon, Max, watch me!"

"Why do you do something dumb whenever we go anywhere?"

Another grin. "'Cos I'm a bad-ass."

"You're an ass, alright." Max smirked. She shaded her eyes with her hand as much as possible, looking up at Chloe, who was now perched, owl-like, on the tip of the rock spur where it jutted out over the lake.

"Chloe, seriously, I don't want you to hurt yourself." She said, with a slight pleading edge to her voice.

Chloe made a dismissive hand gesture. "Relax, Maxipad. I got this. I've done it like, a billion times off a diving board."

"I'm pretty sure a diving board is different to a big frigging piece of rock." Max countered.

"Oh ye of little faith." Chloe chastised Max. "This is totes gonna be the bomb."

"Chloe." Max said, trying to make her name into as much of a warning as possible. "I'm serious."

"And I told you, I got this."

"Chloe no-!" Max shouted, but it was too late.

Chloe bent her knees and, with an almighty push, leapt backwards off the rock. It would have been perfect, had it not been for an exceptionally slippy area robbing her of a lot of the momentum she needed. The backflip, as such, was far shorter than it should have been. As her body rotated in the air, falling towards the lake surface, Chloe let out a shout. She missed the edge of the rock, barely, her head passing it with less than ten centimetres to spare. Then, unable to control her fall, she hit the lake, face first.

Max was horrified at first. She scrambled to her feet and raced to the top of the rock, where she peered over the edge. A wave of horror washed over her for a moment as she saw Chloe's prone form floating on the surface. But it was only for a moment, as Chloe twisted round in the water a second later, looking up at Max with the world's biggest shit-eating grin on her face.

"Told you I could do it!" She yelled back up.

"Barely!" Max shouted back. "I thought you'd fucking killed yourself!"

"I didn't though." Chloe said as she clambered back up to where Max was standing.

Max pouted. "Seriously, that was really dumb. You could've hurt yourself."

Chloe relented, seeing how upset Max was. "Alright, no more backflips, I promise." She drew Max into a hug. "Make it up to you later?"

"You better." Max grumbled from the direction of Chloe's chest.

"Don't worry, I will. Oh! We could go back to my place and eat what my Mom made!"

"That sounds... good. What did your Mom make?"

Chloe smiled lecherously. "Me."

"Worth it!" She screamed, as Max shoved her off the rock.

 **Author's Note:** This is a really stupid chapter. But like, in a good way, I think. There's been a distinct lack of Chloe-based shenanigans for way too many chapters now, so this chapter is nothing *but* Chloe-based shenanigans. Nothing really more to say, except I like writing Chloe when she's being silly. Peace oot, as they say in Canada (jk I have no idea what they say in Canada).


	24. Dear Diary

**Dear Diary...**

 _So, uh, Hi Mr Journal. It's been a while. Over a year, I think? Like I'm not even sure when I last wrote anything in here. Hella lame of me, I know. But seriously, it's been one crazy motherfucker of a year... If that sounds like an excuse for not writing, it probably is. I mean, you're not even the same journal, you're a totally new one... One I have no idea what to write in about._

 _Shit, I promised myself I'd start writing my thoughts down again, and I don't even know where to begin... An entire year and I'm lost for words. What does that say about me?_

 _Chloe would probably say "Start at the beginning, doofus". She's probably right, but where's the beginning? I guess it all started when my best friend got shot in a bathroom, and I found out I could rewind time... But I'm not gonna write all that out again. It's all in the old journal, so I'm gonna skip it. OK, that's not entirely true. It's more that I don't want to relive it. Who would? I'll always treasure the memories I have of me and Chloe from that week, but aside from that, everything was breathtakingly fucked._

 _I can still barely believe the town was almost wiped out by a tornado. It's just... so unreal. I still feel kinda guilty about it, too. Like, there's no way it wasn't caused by me saving Chloe. But I decided a long time that it doesn't matter. I don't care about how or why, or about stupid fucking butterfly effects. The town got through it. We rebuilt. We survived._

 _We survived, and I got my best friend back, forever. Well, I guess she's just a little bit more than my best friend now [insert joke about us being "just gal pals" by people who don't know we eat each other out like 5 times a week]. I guess I've gotten used to having her around again, but I'll never take her for granted. I think there's some small part of me somewhere that still thinks something's gonna take her away the second I blink, or turn my head. I've told her about this, like I tell her everything. All she said was "I'm not going anywhere". And I believed her, and that part of me that worries she's just going to vanish into the air like poof gets smaller every day. I can't wait for the day where it's not even there at all._

 _I don't think I'm ever gonna be able to stop talking about Chloe. She's my everything. She's the reason why I'm here, and not in some other timeline or whatever. She's the woman worth all the pain and heartache and misery I caused. Maybe that's selfish of me. But I think we deserve to be a little selfish. The universe took a massive fucking dump on her, and I'd do anything to fix that... Hell, I *did* do pretty much everything to fix it._

 _This'll sound so fucking clichéd and like a bad Hollywood movie, but I'm beginning to think we were literally made for each other. I love her so much, and I know she loves me equally hard in return. I guess we'd kinda loved each other for years, since we were kids, but never really figured it out until we reconnected._

 _Sometimes she drives me crazy, but I probably drive her crazy too, in different ways (not like that you pervy fuck- OK maybe a little bit like that). But honestly, I'd rather have her in my life, warts and all, than not have her at all._

 _Having her by my humble hipster side this year has been the best thing ever. Who else gets their best friend back and then gets to not only smooch up a storm (oh god no pun intended I swear), but actually date them? I mean, fuck, we've been dating for a year. A YEAR! I know it's tiny in comparison to some people, but it's huge for us. So, here, Mr Journal, you can have your first ever photo. See, it's us, on our first anniversary. I was terrified she wouldn't turn up, I mean, I'd been kind of a butt by not letting her see me for a few days, but I needed time to let my sweet new ink heal and surprise her with it._

 _Boy was that a gamble that paid off (yeah, we're getting to the dirty stuff now. Sorry Mr Journal but your innocence is gone forever). The sex we had that night was just... Oh my god... We stayed out by the lighthouse, watched the sunset together, and when it was dark, we made love right out there in the open. It was cold, and I got a twig up my butt, and I couldn't stop giggling, but it was just so magical. I'd never done it outside before either... somehow that made it feel even more special._

 _And speaking of special, sex with Chloe is SO damn nice. Girl is crazy good at getting me off, she knows literally every single one of my buttons (I like to think I know most of hers too). I think I've come more times in the last year than I have in my entire friggin' life. Anyone reading this would probably be grossed out (or turned on, whatevs), but they can suck it. I have a hella awesome sex life, so nyah._

 _I suppose that's part of what makes us so good together. We complement each other's crazy. I don't know what the future's gonna bring, like I have a couple of years left at Blackwell, and after that I have no idea what I'm gonna do, but I know we'll be together, no matter what happens._

 _Though if I do fuck up somewhere, it's not like I can rewind and fix it anymore. My powers are just... gone. I tried, the other day, just to see if I could. And, nada. Zip. Zilch. Nothing. I don't know why they're gone, they just are. I think old me would have missed them, but new me doesn't need them anymore. I'm happy, and I have my Chloe there to back me up._

 _Honestly, and this is just between you and me, Mr Journal, I can pretty easily see myself spending the rest of my life with her. But let's keep that on the down low for now, I don't want her ego getting any bigger than it already is!_

 _Anyways, I'm gonna stop now. My hand is starting to cramp from all this writing. I'll be back soon, I promise!_

 _Signing off (for now)_

 _Max Caulfield, October 11, 2014._

Chloe Price smiled to herself, and put down the journal. She knew she probably shouldn't have read it, but Max had left it so temptingly in sight, and what was a girl supposed to do in that situation?

A few seconds after she had placed the journal back onto Max's night stand, the door clicked open softly.

 _Speak of the devil._ Chloe thought, as Max stepped through, clad in a towel and sporting hair still wet and steaming from her recent shower.

Chloe beamed, and sprung up from the bed, wrapping Max up in a loving embrace.

"Hi." Chloe said.

"...Hi?" Max said back.

Chloe kissed her, long and deep. Somewhere in the middle of it, Max's towel dropped to the floor, leaving her naked, still slightly wet, and shuddering in Chloe's arms.

"I love you." Chloe whispered when they parted.

"I love you too." Max breathed. "Wh-what brought this on?"

"Nothing." Chloe said. She grinned, and leant back in.

 **Author's Note:** So this was another slightly experimental chapter (I seem to be doing those a lot lately). This time, I wanted to try writing pure stream of thought from a character's perspective and see how it turned out. I'm pretty happy with it, but please do leave feedback for anything you feel did or didn't work.

Also, I checked the stats for this story a few days ago: and it officially has over 10.6k hits. WHAT. Just. **W H A T.** I'm honestly completely blown away, like my mind is just a puddle on the floor, because you blew the hell out of it. Seriously, you guys are amazing, and thanks so much for continuing to return and read chapter after chapter of this thing.

*ahem* Anyway, I'm aiming to have one more chapter for this year, probably around Christmas, and that chapter will obviously be Christmas themed. I have a couple of ideas for it, so it should be fun to write. Until then, as always, this is ThreeBulletNecklace saying peace out.


	25. Christmas at the Caulfield's

**Christmas at the Caulfield's**

 _"Jingle bells, Mad Max smells, Chloe rocks her socks!"_ Chloe sang, loudly and out of tune, roughly tearing Max from the peaceful sleep she had been unconsciously enjoying.

Max's eyes flew open. She immediately noticed Chloe, who was careening around Max's bedroom, rocking a manic smile. Even though it was first thing in the morning, Chloe had already managed to put on a glittery Santa hat to go with her elf-themed pyjama shirt and shorts.

Tossing a wink at her newly awoken Max, Chloe launched into the second part of the verse.

 _"We're Blackwell ninjas, shut down whingers, kick you in the cuuuUUUN-MPHH!"_

Chloe's expletive was cut short by Max hurriedly leaping onto her back and covering her mouth.

"Chloe!" She whisper-shouted "You can't yell that in the house! What if my parents hear?"

"Hear what?" Came a jovial, male voice.

Max looked up, to find her dad stood in the door way, a cheesy grin plastered all over his face.

"Max, stop riding Chloe." He said without a trace of irony, causing Chloe to snort into Max's hand. "She's not a horse." He finished.

"Oh I'mma get you to ride me later, and not like a horse either." Chloe whispered into Max's ear.

Max turned beet red, and a hot flush travelled the entire way down her body. Fortunately, her dad seemed not to notice. She hopped off of Chloe's back and walked over to greet him.

"Morning, Dad." She said, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his shoulder. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas kiddo." He returned the hug.

"Hugs? I wanna get in on this!" Chloe protested. A second later, she had weaseled her way into hug, grinning broadly. "Is it time for presents yet?" She whispered, eyes wide and ever so slightly manic.

Max looked from Chloe to her dad, and raised her eyebrows in a _well-what-do-you-say_ fashion.

Ryan shrugged. "I don't see why not." He said, unfortunately ignorant of what those words would unleash.

Chloe was out of the door and careening down the stairs in less than a second, screaming "PRESENTS!" At the top of her lungs.

She left a perplexed Ryan and a world-weary Max standing in the room.

"Is – is she always like that?" Ryan asked his daughter.

Max nodded solemnly. "Yup."

When Max and Ryan descended the stairs and entered into a living room that had been utterly covered in festive decorations, they found Chloe sat cross-legged at the foot of the large, bauble and light-encrusted tree.

She was almost visibly vibrating in excitement, and sporting all the enthusiasm of a six year old who had strong suspicions they were about to receive a shiny new bicycle.

Max and Ryan looked at the excitable Chloe, then at each other, and then burst out laughing.

"Chlo, you are such a dork." Max teased between giggles.

"Yeah, but I'm a Christmas-loving dork." Chloe countered. She swept her gaze over the pile of presents resting under the tree. "So which one's mine?" She asked.

"The one right next to your foot." Max nodded towards a slender, rectangular package wrapped in reindeer themed wrapping paper. "Hey Chlo, you wanna know how I knew which one it was?"

Chloe paused, fingertips inches away from the present. "You better not be doing what I think you're doing."

Max extended a hand, and waved it back and forth in the fashion of a Jedi. She grinned. "I knew, because I have felt your presents."

Chloe groaned, loudly. "Oh my god that was awful." She said.

"It really was." Ryan agreed, looking ecstatic. He looped an arm around Max's shoulder and kissed the top of her head. "I'm so proud of you."

Chloe ignored the both of them and promptly tore into her present, shredding the wrapping paper in a matter of seconds. She threw the detritus aside, to reveal a book of tattoo designs, containing several hundred examples.

"Holy crap, this is amazing, Max!" Chloe beamed at Max, who sat down opposite her. "How'd you know I wanted this?"

Max reached out and patted her on the head. "Dude, you are like the least subtle person when it comes to dropping hints. You've been walking round for weeks complaining about how you want a new tat."

Chloe looked down. "I thought I was being sneaky..."

Max leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "Leave the sneaking for the _actual_ Blackwell Ninja." She said.

Before Chloe could respond, the door to the kitchen opened, and in walked Vanessa Caulfield, bearing a large plate laden with half a foot of delicious smelling pancakes, dripping in butter and accompanied by a pile of bacon rashers.

Upon seeing that Chloe had already begun to open presents, Vanessa raised a coquettish eyebrow. "You know, I presumed Max would have been the excitable one to insist on opening presents before breakfast, but I see I got that slightly wrong."

Chloe at least had the grace to look sheepish. She looked down, her mouth quirked to the side in a way that Max knew was her way of expressing remorse.

At the sight of her, Vanessa chuckled softly. "Oh honey, I'm just teasing you." She set the plate of pancakes and bacon down on the coffee table. "Now dig in, you hear. And yes, we can all open presents while we eat."

The next few minutes were a blur of food and wrapping paper. Aside from the book, Max had also gotten Chloe a few tubes of her favourite blue hair dye, enough to last for a couple of months.

Chloe had gotten Max some more film, naturally, including two packs of black and white that Max couldn't wait to try out. Never one to pass up an opportunity, Max's precious camera was soon put to use documenting the occasion. However, her camera failed to capture the delighted shriek Max made, when she opened her next gift from Chloe to find two tickets to Syd Matters' upcoming tour ("Its hipster bullshit, but I'm still coming with you." Chloe said).

Ryan received a beard trimming kit, something he was happy with, judging from the interested little noises he made while examining each accessory. A set of beard oils from Chloe rounded out the picture.  
For Vanessa, Ryan and Max had clubbed together and bought her a couple of boxsets of her two favourite crime procedurals: _NCIS_ and _Criminal Minds_.

As Vanessa cooed over her presents, Ryan stood and began to clear away the now-empty plates, and the discarded wrapping paper. "Right." He said. "I've got a sumptuous Christmas dinner to prepare, and no one is allowed in the kitchen until it's done. So for now, I bid you all adieu."

"Oh and Max?" He added. "Don't fill up on cookies. I know what you're like, young lady."

"Yeah, Max." Chloe teased. "No eating any of these delicious, mouth-watering, double chocolate chip cookies." She said, stuffing an entire cookie into her mouth.

"Chloe, don't be mean." Vanessa said. "Stop trying to get Max to eat your cookie."

Chloe tried to laugh and, in the process, began to choke.

Max sighed, and buried her head in her hands. "Oh my God, Mom no..."

"What? What did I say?" Vanessa said, utterly bewildered.

"You made it sound like Chloe wanted me to- you know what, I'm not finishing that sentence."

Vanessa still looked confused, but then a look of comprehension dawned, sweeping across her face. "Oh. OH!"

"Yeah..." Said Max, looking embarrassed.

"Sorry sweetie. If I'd known it was a euphemism for cunnilingus I wouldn't have said anything."

"MOM NO."

Three hours, and on Vanessa's insistence, several episodes of _NCIS_ later, Ryan emerged from the kitchen, sporting an exceedingly large Santa hat and a kiss-the-cook apron. In his arms he held a baking tray, laden with a turkey that eight people would have found a challenge, let alone four.

"Holy crap!" Max exclaimed. "Did Godzilla mate with that thing's mom or something? It's fricking huge!"

"All I can say is: challenge hella accepted." Said Chloe, a ravenous gleam in her eye.

Ryan set the turkey down onto the table and produced his carving knives. "You sure about that? I wouldn't underestimate this turkey if I were you."

Chloe grinned. "Bring it."

"I bet you anything you're gonna regret that." Max said. "There's way too much turkey there."

"O ye of little faith." Chloe retorted. She took up her knife and fork.

An hour later, Chloe was, inevitably, regretting her words.

"Maaaax, help me. That was such a bad idea. I regret this so much." She complained. She was slumped back in her chair, plate strewn with the carnage of a challenge foolishly taken. Chloe looked physically exhausted. She was panting, sweating, and her stomach was visibly curved from the medically unhealthy amount of meat she had eaten.

"You're an idiot. Come on, you can lie on the couch." Max took a small amount of pity on her.

She helped Chloe over to the couch, lay her down as gently as possible, and sat down with her. She propped up Chloe's head on a cushion, which she rested on her lap.

"What did we learn?" Max said.

Chloe groaned. "That turkey is evil?"

"No, we learned that you have fricking terrible impulse control. Again."

Chloe just moaned.

Max sighed. "Alright, your show of gluttony was vaguely impressive." She said. She began to stroke Chloe's hair.

"Yeah?" Chloe responded. She nuzzled into Max's hand and closed her eyes.

"Sure. In a disgusting kind of way." Max said, fully expecting Chloe to protest. She was met with silence. "Chlo?"

Chloe had fallen asleep, a self-satisfied smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

Max shook her head lightly, breaking into a smile of her own. "Never change." She whispered.

The sun had long since set when Chloe snored loudly, and woke herself up with a start. She sat up. The first thing she noticed was that the room was dark, illuminated solely by the fairy lights on the Christmas tree. The second was that everyone was gone. Surely they hadn't left her on her own? She got up off the couch, tottering a little on unsteady legs, making for the stairs.

"Max?" She called up them when she reached the bottom. "You there?"

"Yeah!" Came the response. "I'll be down in a minute, just hang on!"

Chloe shrugged, and went back to reclining on the couch. Some moments later, Max came down the stairs, clutching a blanket tightly around herself.

Chloe smirked. "Cold?"

Max tilted her head. "Something like that."

She stopped in front of Chloe, but didn't join her on the couch.

Chloe looked round, as if Max's parents were going to spring from the shadows and surprise them. "So where are your folks, anyway? They ditching us?"

"They said something about a riverside drive. They asked if I wanted to go, but I didn't wanna leave you here on your own."

Chloe grinned at her. "Well ain't you a sweetheart." She said in her best Southern Belle.

"Oh you have no idea how sweet I can be." Max said.

She dropped the blanket.

Chloe dropped her jaw.

Max was nude. Or, as near to nude as she could be without directly being so. A multitude of crimson red ribbons looped around her body, strategically covering her most intimate parts, while displaying as much skin as possible in a very enticing way. As a finishing touch, a neatly tied bow nestled between her breasts, just begging to be untied.

"You have no idea how long it took to wrap myself up like this." Max joked.

Chloe didn't respond. She couldn't, her mind was nothing but a sea of lust.

"What's the matter?" Max teased, her voice barely above a whisper. "Cat got your tongue?"

She took a step forward, and pushed Chloe back against the cushions. Chloe's breathing quickened as Max swung one leg over her hips, and then the other, straddling her. Max leaned forward, letting her breath brush Chloe's ear.

Chloe shuddered.

She shuddered again when Max rocked her hips against her own.

"Hey look, you were right." Max said. "I did end up riding you." She leaned back, giving Chloe a good view of her body. She rolled her hips against Chloe's again.

"Well?" She whispered. "You gonna unwrap your present?" She took one of Chloe's hands, and let it trail over a ribbon-clad breast.

Chloe didn't need to be asked twice. She took a loose end of the bow, and gave it a firm tug. The knot gracefully fell apart, leaving the ribbons kept up only by Max's body. Chloe pushed them aside gently, and they fluttered to the ground. Chloe sat back, and took in Max's now entirely nude form. She was lit by the multitude of coloured lights on the tree, lending a softness to her as the light played over her skin.

Max smiled. "So, how do you like your present?"

Once again, Chloe didn't answer. Instead, she grabbed Max and pulled her close. She twisted, and let their momentum take them down onto the couch, with Chloe landing on top of Max. She came to rest between Max's legs, and immediately latched onto Max's neck, sucking and licking her way down.

Max moaned softly. "I... _unhh_... guess that means you... _mmm_ like it..."

Chloe looked up from between Max's breasts. "Hella fucking yes I do." She said.

She continued her way down Max's stomach, kissing and nibbling at the taut, heated flesh. Just below her belly button, Chloe paused, and gazed up at Max with a salacious grin.

"Hey Max." She said.

Max eyed her with suspicion. "What?"

"You could say Christmas..."

Chloe paused for effect.

"... Is gonna come twice this year."

 **Author's Note:** AND THEN THEY FUCKED.

So yeah, this was obviously meant to come out at Christmas. Which it didn't. Because I am terrible. No but seriously, this fucking chapter was weirdly hard to write. The premise was "Chloe stays with Max for Christmas, fluffy shenanigans occur". You'd think that would be easy, right? NOPE. I've rewritten this thing about three times, and I'm still not entirely happy with it. Suffice to say, I don't think I'll be doing another festive-themed chapter anytime soon.

The next chapter will be a couple of weeks at minimum, as I'm trying to stagger this with my other ongoing series, Path of the Jedi, which you should totally go read if you enjoy LiS and Star Wars at the same time (subtle plug fuck yeah nailed it). See you all next time, and happy new year!


	26. Winter's Warmth

**Winter's Warmth**

"Do we have to do this?" Chloe whined. "'Cos dude, I am hella fucking tired right now." She performed a loud, fake yawn to exaggerate the effect.

Max however, was having none of it.

"It's your own fault. I told you to go to bed." She gently chastised Chloe.

"But-"

"And what did you _not_ do?"

"Go to bed?"

"That's right. What did you do instead?"

Chloe grimaced. "I watched horror movies all night."

Max dipped her head and raised her eyebrows, peering out from under them. "So who's fault is this?"

A sigh. "Mine."

"What did we learn?"

"That Friday the 13th already had too many sequels even before the reboot? Ow!" Chloe rubbed her nose, which Max had hit with a spoon.

Max didn't need to repeat the question. She just waved the spoon threateningly.

Chloe pouted. "Alright, and you don't need to hit me. _Max is always right_." She unenthusiastically chorused. "Well, apart from that time you thought cornholing was what you do when you plant corn."

Max blushed. "Oh I'm sorry, I'm not a depraved sex maniac like you."

Chloe giggled, and leaned back in her chair. "Speaking of, where's Kate? I thought she'd be here by now."

She received a shrug in reply. "Great. So she's late and I'm tired." Chloe plucked at her dress shirt unhappily. "Why'd we even have to come here anyway? I don't even like fish." She gestured around them.

The couple were sat at a table in Arcadia Bay's one and only sushi restaurant. It being mid-week, the place wasn't very busy, and as such the two young women had managed to score a table in the corner, next to a quaint koi pond brimming with fish. The quiet murmur of relaxed conversation hung in the air, backed by the soft sounds of an erhu drifting from hidden speakers.

"Chloe, I've told you like a dozen times already." Max said, rather exasperatedly. "Kate invited us here for a date night."

"Woah, wait a second." Chloe said, holding up a finger in protest. "I thought we weren't doing the open dating thing?"

"We're not. It's Kate who's bringing a date with her."

Chloe felt like her jaw could have dropped so hard it would have smashed through the floor. " _Get the fuck outta town!"_ She whispered.

Max grinned. "I know right?"

"Kate's bringing a date? Like, she's actually dating someone?"

"Looks like."

"Holy shit, this is huge. Like, nuclear detonation huge!" Chloe mimed an explosion. "She say who she's bringing?"

Max shook her head. "Nope. I guess we're gonna find out."

"You're as shocked as I am, right?"

"Definitely." Max nodded, vigorously. "When Kate told me I legit said 'fuck me sideways'. "

Chloe giggled. "Hah. What did Kate say?"

"She said, and I quote: 'Been there done that.'"

Chloe's eyes filled with tears. "I'm so proud of her." She whispered. She leaned forward in her chair, placing her elbows on the table and forming a tent with her fingers. "I take back all the complaining. Now I hella can't wait for her and this mystery date to turn up."

Fortunately for Chloe, she didn't have to wait long. After a minute or two of her staring at the entrance and shifting impatiently in her seat, the door opened, ushering in a frigid blast of January air. Kate shuffled in, shaking snow off of a knitted bobble hat. Satisfied all the snow had been removed, she scanned the restaurant, grinning broadly and waving when she saw Max and Chloe. Then, she turned, and beckoned her date to come in.

Out of the dark and whirling snow, strode Victoria Chase.

This time, it was Max's turn to drop her jaw.

Chloe was a little more vocal. "What the shit-biscuit?!" She said, loud enough for several nearby tables to hear her.

Max winced. "Chloe! Inside voice!" She whisper-shouted.

Chloe at least had the grace to look guilty. _Sorry_ she mouthed at the offended tables.

Oblivious to Chloe's blatant restaurant etiquette faux-pas, Kate strode over to the table, followed by Victoria, who looked uncharacteristically guarded.

"Hey you two!" Kate greeted them both, followed by a warm hug and kiss on the cheek.

If Victoria was bothered by the display of physical affection, she didn't show it. Instead, she sat down, looking like she'd rather be anywhere but there.

"Hi Victoria." Max greeted her with a little wave that was only a tiny bit awkward.

"Max." Victoria said, with a slight nod of the head. She turned towards Chloe, who was almost visibly glaring. "Chloe." She intoned, her voice dropping almost an octave.

Before either Kate or Max could say anything, Chloe narrowed her eyes and made a show of cracking her knuckles. "Tell me why I shouldn't tell you to go suck thirty-seven dicks. In a row."

"Chloe!" Max admonished her. "Play nice."

"No, it's OK." Victoria said, stopping everyone in their tracks. "I probably deserve it, considering what I said last time we met." She met Chloe's eyes. "Chloe, I want to apologise. I acted like a total bitch, and said some horrible things to you. I don't expect you to forgive me, but I want you to know I _am_ sorry. I was going through some major self-esteem shit at the time, and I was taking it out on other people. That was totally not cool of me."

When Victoria finished speaking, a moment of tense silence gripped the table, as Max and Kate waited with bated breath to see how Chloe would respond.

"Well, fuck." Chloe said, the corner of her mouth curling up into something like a smile. "I'd be a real bitch to shit on a heartfelt confession like that. I think I like this new, humble Victoria." She extended a hand, which Victoria hesitantly shook. "We're good." She said.

Max's shoulders shook with silent laughter, and Kate let out an audible sigh of relief.

"Thank God for that." She said. "I don't know what I would have done if you and Max hadn't been OK with, well, this." She cupped Victoria's jaw and kissed her cheek. "And you did great, Sweet-Vee. I'm proud of you."

The moment was interrupted by a high pitched keening from Max. Three pairs of eyes turned to her; Kate's in confusion, Victoria in something approaching disgust, and Chloe with wry amusement.

"Max, did you just, _urgh_ , squee?" Victoria said, evidently beyond disgusted at herself for having to use the word.

"Sorry, I just love that you have pet names already. It's totes adorable." Max said, without a hint of shame.

"If you breathe a _word_ of this to anyone-" Victoria growled.

"You'll do unspeakable things to us, yeah we get the drill." Max interrupted. "Relax, Vee. No one's out to get you."

Victoria pouted, but it was only for show.

"Speaking of doing unspeakable things." Chloe interjected. "I think I speak for both me and Max when I ask: how the flippety-shit did _this_ happen? Like, you two. As a couple."

Kate looked at Victoria. "You wanna tell them, or do I?" She asked.

"You tell them. You're the better storyteller." Victoria said while studying her nails.

Kate turned to Max and Chloe. "Well..." She began.

 _Several months earlier..._

 _Kate sits at her desk, bent low over the surface. Her hand delicately applies pencil stroke after pencil stroke onto the pristine white paper. She's working on more illustrations for the children's book she wants to write, and she's feeling particularly proud of the current batch. Now, if she could only get the story to work..._

 _A knock on her door distracts her, almost causing her hand to slip. Now_ that _would not have been good._

" _It's open!" She calls. "I'm just working on some stuff." She explains, expecting to turn around and see Max stood in the doorway. Only, when she does spin her chair round, she has to physically restrain herself from jumping in shock when she sees Victoria there instead._

 _Victoria? Coming and calling on her specifically?_ What the heck is going on? _Kate thinks to herself._

" _H-hi Victoria." She finds herself saying. "If you're looking for Juliet I think she's-"_

" _Can we talk?" Victoria interrupts._

 _Now Kate is_ really _confused._

" _I, uh, I guess." She says. "What about?"_

 _Victoria shakes her head. "Not here. Somewhere private. Follow me."_

 _Stumped for words, Kate does exactly that. She follows Victoria all the way out to the parking lot, where she has to shield her eyes from the setting sun reflecting fiercely off multiple car windows._

" _Get in." Victoria jerks her head towards an expensive-looking sedan."Please." She adds when she sees Kate looking like a bunny caught in headlights._

 _Kate does so, and before long Victoria is driving her along sunset-hued roads. Her mind is racing with so many thoughts that she doesn't even notice when they arrive at the beach. Victoria shuts off the engine and gets out, motioning for Kate to follow her. She does, and Victoria leads her on a languid walk along the shore. After a couple of minutes, she speaks._

" _You probably don't think I'm a good person." She says, looking at the sandy ground. "And you'd be right. I'm not." She kicks a pebble. "But I want to be." She looks Kate dead in the eye. "Last year, I was a total cunt to you. You almost killed yourself because of what me and … him... did to you." She takes a deep breath. "Kate. I'm... I'm sorry. I know that probably won't mean much, but I've never been more serious. I'm sorry, what we did to you was awful... and I'd be lying if I said it doesn't eat me alive at night sometimes."_

 _Normally Kate would object to the use of obscene language, but she's utterly floored by what she's hearing. She becomes aware that someone is speaking. She's surprised to find that it's herself._

" _Victoria, it's OK." She's saying. "Well, no, it's not OK. What you took part in led me to the worst day of my life. But I_ can _see you're trying to change, and sometimes the first part of that is recognising that you did wrong, and trying to make amends. I wouldn't have agreed to come with you here if I didn't think you could do that."_

 _Victoria is deathly still while she's listening._

" _I don't think I can forgive you." Kate continues. "Not just yet. But maybe, in time, specifically time spent around each other, I'll be able to."_

 _Victoria looks at her. "You … want to spend time with me? Why?"_

 _Kate smiles. "Because everyone deserves a second chance."_

"Wowser." Max breathed. "That's... I don't have the words."

A sniff came from her left. She turned her head, and saw Chloe wiping her sleeve across her eyes, trying and failing to appear inconspicuous. "Wait, Chloe are you crying?" She said, hardly believing her own eyes.

"N-no." Chloe lied. "'M not crying, _you're_ crying, shut up."

"I love you too." Max teased her. She leaned over and kissed Chloe on a tear-stained cheek.

She turned back to Kate and Victoria, who were now holding hands. "We both think that was hella mature of both of you. It couldn't have been easy to have a conversation like that."

"It wasn't." Victoria confirmed. "I felt like my heart was gonna explode the entire time. I was terrified Kate was going to reject me, and I had no idea why I was so scared. It seems obvious now, but at the time, it was totally fucking confusing."

"I think it's sweet you were scared." Kate said. She gave Victoria's hand a loving squeeze. "I've said it before, but you have such a loving heart under all that bluster."

"Bluster? I don't have any bluster! Why would you-" Victoria stopped mid-sentence after a pointed look from Kate. "Ah. Point taken." She said, somewhat sheepishly.

The other three women shared a laugh.

"So." Chloe said, having returned to her normal, blasé self. "What happened after that? 'Cos it's a big jump from 'maybe friends someday' to 'hella smooches'."

Kate shrugged. "Well, like any other couple, really. We got to know each other, and both of us found things we liked about the other."

"Yeah." Victoria agreed. "We started going for coffee dates. Well, I had coffee. Kate had tea. And I guess neither of us figured they were actually dates. They just felt natural."

"That's sweet." Max smiled at them.

"Sweet, but I still wanna know how makeouts happened." Chloe teased. "C'mon, spill the deets!"

Kate looked at Victoria. They both smiled.

"So..."

 _The moon is almost at its zenith, seemingly impossibly white against the night sky. Two young women walk across the deserted Blackwell campus, their pace leisurely, content to take their time crossing the grounds._

" _I enjoyed myself tonight." Kate is saying. She laughs. "Enjoying time with Victoria Chase. There's something I never thought I'd say."_

" _Oh hush." Victoria says. "I'm not that bad."_

 _They smile at each other, with eye contact lingering on past where it normally would have ended._

" _I enjoyed myself as well." Victoria says. "I liked the illustrations you showed me. Though did you have to make me into a grumpy tiger?"_

 _Kate laughs. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself."_

 _Victoria laughs with her. "I don't mind. At least you made me into one of the cooler animals."_

" _Yeah, even though you're a big dork inside." Kate can't help but tease her a little._

 _Victoria makes a show of pouting. It's rather adorable, Kate thinks._

" _Says the girl who wants to draw for children's books." Victoria shoots back, then smiles. "Though I do think it's very sweet, what you want to do."_

" _Thanks, Victoria."_

 _Victoria slips her hand into Kate's. Neither of them mind. To them, it feels like the most natural thing in the world._

 _They walk on in silence. It's not an awkward or uncomfortable one, no. Instead it's the silence of two people who have grown used to one another. A companionable silence that need not be interrupted by something as unnecessary and cheap as small talk._

 _Eventually, they enter the girls' dormitory. Kate's room is closest, so they stop outside the door, both women loathe to let the evening end._

" _Well, this is me." Kate says._

" _Yeah, it is you." Victoria repeats._

 _They're still holding hands. Neither of them wants to let go._

 _Kate turns to face Victoria, and looks up at her._

" _Victoria?"_

 _They lock eyes._

" _Kate?"_

 _Their hearts are both suddenly pounding, though neither is aware of the other._

" _I..." Kate begins to say._

 _Then, it's as if someone flips a switch inside her. She stands on her tip-toes, wraps her arms around Victoria's neck, and kisses her._

 _When Victoria kisses back, she almost explodes with glee._

"That. Is. So. _Cute!_ " Max enthused. "What were you both thinking when it happened?"

"I can't really remember." Kate confessed. "Mostly that it just felt right, you know?"

"All I can remember is thinking _"Wow, Kate is a_ really _good kisser"."_ Victoria said, with an uncharacteristically dopey grin, causing Kate to blush and look down, undoubtedly thinking that she had in fact kissed everyone at the table.

"Yeah, that's pretty fucking adorable." Chloe said.

Victoria looked at her.

"What?" Chloe said, shovelling sushi into her mouth. "I'm a sucker for romance, OK?"

Victoria smirked. "I wouldn't peg you for the type, but you're dating this bundle of nerd right here, so what do I know?" She said, jerking her head in Max's direction.

"I'd say I'm offended, but that's pretty much me in a box." Max shrugged. "Plus who said romance was a bad thing?" She smiled, and gave Chloe a smooch on the cheek.

"I'll raise a glass to that!" Victoria grinned.

"Are you sure you two can't stay longer?" Kate said, voice muffled by her scarf.

The four of them were walking towards the car park. The snow had died down, but the air was still bitterly cold.

"No." Max shook her head. "Chloe has work in the morning, and with weather this cold, she's useless at getting up unless I'm there to push her out of bed. That's not an exaggeration either."

"Hey, I'm not that bad." Chloe protested.

"You really are, Chlo. How long did it take you to get up yesterday?"

Choe crossed her arms and looked away. "I plead the Fifth."

"Exactly."

The foursome came to a halt outside Chloe's truck.

"Alright, this is us." Max said. "Thanks for what turned out to be a really fun evening."

"Yeah." Chloe agreed. "We should do this again sometime."

"That would be nice." Kate nodded. "Victoria?"

Victoria considered the suggestion for a second. "Sure."

"Then it's a date!" Max said. She hugged Kate. "Drive safe, you two."

"Same to you". Victoria said. "I, uh, I don't really do hugs. No offense."

"None taken." Max gave her a friendly pat on the arm instead.

Chloe simply waved.

A minute later, Kate and Victoria watched the two pull away. Kate turned to her girlfriend.

"You did good tonight." She said.

"Yeah? I was "hella nervous" as Chloe would say." Victoria confessed.

Kate looped her arm around Victoria's, and rested her head on her shoulder. "Don't worry, you were fine."

"Good to know."

The couple began to walk towards Victoria's car, which, thankfully, had heated seats. When they were safely ensconced within the warmth of the car, Victoria let out a grateful sigh. "So, what now? We've got the rest of the evening ahead of us."

Kate grinned. "Well, I did have a thought."

Victoria raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"Mm. I was thinking about how warm my dorm room is." She said, not without a certain amount of flirtation.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah." Kate nodded. "And how warm my bed is, too."

"Oh. _Oh."_

Kate laughed. "Chloe was right."

"About what?" Victoria was, for a moment, puzzled.

"You _are_ adorable."

 **Author's Note:** Yup, we officially have ChaseMarsh now. So that's a thing. It's also a good way, I think, to conclude their character arcs for this story. You'll see why in a paragraph or so.

Another thing: on Feb 19th, this series officially turned 1 year old! I did want to have this chapter out by then, but I've been pretty busy over the last few weeks (sorry!). But yeah, the word count on this thing also means I've written a full paperback novel of fluffy bullshit. Whaaaaaat.

But I do have some Serious Stuff to talk about, that being: all good things must come to an end. I've been writing What If's for well over a year now, and I think it's almost time to draw the curtain. Chapter 30 will be the final chapter, and the end of the story. I may come back and do the occasional separate oneshot, but the main story will officially be over. Though I still have 4 chapters left to write, so I'll do my best to make sure they're worth reading. And as far as the ending goes, I think I have a good one. Peace out.


	27. Carpe Diem, Motherfucker

**Carpe Diem, Motherfucker**

"Dude." Chloe smiled at her. "I _cannot_ believe you're graduating tomorrow."

They were sat in Max's dorm room, now sparsely furnished, and with almost all personal belongings packed up into boxes. Chloe had claimed the desk chair, and was idly spinning around in it while Max sat on the bed, brushing her hair.

Max paused, her hairbrush still mid-way into working through a particularly stubborn lock of hair. "I... yeah. I guess I am."

"How're you feeling? Like, excited? Nervous?" She winked and nudged Max in the ribs, "Horny?"

Max swatted her away. "I swear to god you're insatiable. And no, I'm not horny." She put the hairbrush down on the bed and gazed at her hands, seemingly studying them. "Actually I … don't know what I'm feeling."

Chloe sat down next to her. "Uh-oh. Are we getting all introspective and shit?"

Max made a face that was somewhere between a grimace and a smile. It was a look Chloe knew all too well; it meant Max was Thinking About Stuff. She shuffled a little closer, and looped an arm around Max's slender shoulders. Max relaxed into the familiar touch, and laid her head on Chloe's upper arm.

"So what's on your mind?" Chloe prompted.

If Chloe could have seen Max's face, she would have seen her furrow her brow and cycle through several expressions, all of them betraying an all-consuming inner conflict.

"I don't know." Max finally said. "And that's the weird thing: _I don't know_. Like, after tomorrow there's this huge uncertainty that I've got no clue how to deal with. There's a billion questions buzzing round my head like, am I gonna have to move back in with my parents? What job am I gonna have? I literally have no idea what's gonna happen." She turned to look at Chloe. "Chlo, I think I'm freaking out."

Chloe pulled her closer. "Yeah, no shit. And hey, you're still gonna have me."

Max laid her hand on Chloe's thigh. She sighed. "I know. But like, aside from you, the only other constant in my life over the last three years has been Blackwell, and even with all the crazy, fucked up shit this place has thrown at me, I don't know what I'm gonna do when I don't have it. God, my brain is a hella fucky place right now, and I don't know what to do." Max fell silent, chewing on her bottom lip pensively.

An idea presented itself to Chloe, worming its way into the grey matter of her brain until it took up every single bit of space that wasn't occupied with concern for Max. It wasn't much of an idea, but it would have to do. Chloe got up, the bed springs creaking in protest at the sudden movement, and offered Max her hand.

"C'mon," she said, "We've got stuff to do."

Max looked perplexed. "What stuff? We've already packed everything up and-"

Chloe cut her off, "Not that stuff, dummy." She took Max's hand. "Listen, you're all freaked out and shit about not knowing about your future and stuff. So, today, we're gonna do exactly what we normally do. We're gonna have a big-ass brunch at the Two Whales, hang out in the junk-yard doing whatever the fuck we want, then we'll go to the lighthouse and watch the sunset, and after that I'm taking you back to mine for a sleepover. And no, you don't get to back out of any of this. So, whaddya say: ready for one last normal-as-fuck day in Arcadia Bay?" She finished with an enthusiastic grin.

Max couldn't help it. She grinned back. "Sure."

"Attagirl!" Chloe pulled Max off of the bed and into her arms, and kissed her, with a quick peck on the tip of her nose when the kiss ended. Hand in hand, they made their way out of the dorms, and down to Chloe's truck.

"Oh my god." Max said. She pushed her plate away and slumped back in her seat, unable to eat even a single bite more. Her plate was littered with the remains of the biggest cheeseburger she'd ever seen and, although she'd given it her all, it had beaten her easily.

"I know right?" Chloe, in a similar state, replied. She ran a hand across her forehead, and was surprised when it came away wet. "Dude, I'm actually sweating here. That was like, way too much meat."

"That's what she said." Max said with a lecherous grin.

Chloe didn't reply, and simply flipped her the bird.

Max ignored her and prodded her stomach, which had noticeably distended from the sheer amount of food she had just crammed into herself. She made a face. "Chlo, I think this burger's gotten me pregnant."

Chloe waved a hand lazily. "If you are, I got dibs on the delicious burger babies you're gonna birth from your unholy coupling with two pieces of bread and a meat patty."

Max clutched her stomach in mock horror. "You're gonna eat my burger children? Chloe, how could you?"

Chloe shrugged. "If they come with relish, easily."

Max poked her stomach again. "Don't worry, Mama's gonna protect you from evil, burger-coveting punk chicks." She whispered. When she looked back up, Chloe was raising an eyebrow so high it looked like it was about to fly off her forehead and shoot off into orbit.

"Dude." Chloe said.

"What?" Max replied.

"You're weird as fuck, Caulfield."

"And yet you sleep with me." Max shot back.

Chloe help up her hands in surrender. "Point taken." She looked down at her own swollen stomach. "Fuck, I think that burger got me pregnant too. Totes worth it though, that was a damn good burger."

"Oh my, is that my cooking I hear you singing the praises of?" A smug sounding voice interrupted them. Naturally, it belonged to Joyce, who had snuck up on them when they weren't looking.

"Of course, your food is the best thing in this town!" Max enthused.

"Thank you, Max." Joyce smiled at her. "Goodness knows how you're still so polite after spending so long with my daughter."

"I like to think I balance her out." Max said.

Chloe simply rolled her eyes.

"Chloe also thinks the food was awesome." Max poked Chloe's shin with the tip of her converse. "Chloe?"

Not without a degree of grumbling, Chloe agreed. "It gets the Jules Winnfield seal of approval." She said.

"Don't worry, that's a good thing." Max said to Joyce, after seeing her look of confusion. "It's a movie reference." She explained.

"Let me guess, whatever movie it is, is filled to the brim with curse words and violence?" Joyce asked.

"Would it be me if it wasn't?" Chloe asked with a wry grin.

Joyce smiled back. "You know, I still remember when you were six years old and wouldn't stop watching _The Little Mermaid_ and _Mulan_. 'Come on, Mom', you'd say, 'We have to help Ariel and Mulan save China!'"

Chloe buried her head in her hands, cheeks flushed a bright pink in embarrassment. "Oh my god, Mom, stop!" She groaned.

"What, and miss a chance to embarrass my tough-girl daughter? Never!" Joyce grinned. For added emphasis, she reached over and ruffled Chloe's hair.

"So what are you two planning for today?" She asked, seemingly satisfied she had teased her daughter enough.

"Oh, you know, same old." Max said.

Joyce raised her left eyebrow by a small increment. "Really? I thought you might be doing something special, last day before graduation and all..." She trailed off.

Max shook her head. "No. A normal day is fine by me. I think it's what I need, to be honest."

Joyce nodded sagely. "I understand. Transitioning into the real world can be a scary thing."

"Yeah..." Max agreed, rubbing the back of her head self-consciously.

"Well, if you ever want to chat, the Two Whales and a slice of pie, on the house, are always waiting for you." She smiled warmly.

"Do I get free pie?" Chloe asked, suddenly perking up.

Joyce fixed her with a steely gaze of smoldering intensity. "Young lady, you get more than your fair share of free pie."

"But I work here!" Chloe protested.

"Exactly." Joyce rebutted her. "The amount of pie you have, I've half a mind to bring back your tab."

Chloe opened her mouth to protest, but appeared to think better of it, and descended into sulking, a full-out pout decorating her face like an ugly throw rug.

Max couldn't help but giggle. _Same old, same old_ she thought.

"So how're you holding up, Super Max?" Chloe asked. "Feeling better?"

They were gazing at the vast blue emptiness of the sky, watching a turbulent storm front slowly encroaching from the west. They were laid on the hood of a beat up old piece-of-shit cadillac: a once proud and well-loved car now spending the rest of its days slowly rusting into pieces.

"I think so." Max said slowly, after a period of consideration. "Like, it still feels like I'm taking this big frickin' leap out over nothing, which is scary as fuck, but I know I've got a couple of safety nets."

Chloe rolled over onto her side, and draped a leg across Max's thighs. She nuzzled into the nape of Max's neck, humming contentedly. "Am I one of those safety nets?" She mumbled lazily.

"Of course you are." Max said softly. She tilted her head, and claimed Chloe's lips. Chloe hummed again and kissed back, smiling into Max's lips. The kiss deepened, as did their breathing, and soon, their lazy embrace had become a warm, languid make-out session. The junkyard was silent around the young couple, with nothing to interrupt them save for the occasional chorus of birdsong.

Chloe's hands began to wander, roaming across Max's back, hips, thighs and ass, taking her time with the familiar curves and lines of Max's body. When Chloe's curious fingers crept under the hem of Max's shirt, ghosting over the sensitive skin of Max's lower back, Max arched into the contact, breathing out heavily.

"Someone's eager..." She whispered against Chloe's lips.

Chloe pulled back and grinned. "Can you blame a girl?" She asked. Her fingers continued their journey, travelling from her lower back to creep under the edge of her skirt. "You know, I've never done it on a caddy before..." She said with a wink and a lascivious smile.

" _Mm_ neither have I." Said Max. " _But_ ," she stopped Chloe's hand before it could edge any lower, "We'd need, like, a billion tetanus shots afterwards. Just look at this rusty POS." She gestured at the poor cadillac. "I'm not getting shot hella full of needles because you have an over-active sex drive and no common sense."

Chloe backed down, somewhat sheepishly. "Fair point." She sat up, causing the metal of the hood to groan and some rust to flake off. "So what do we do now?"

Max pursed her lips, considering. "Wanna break some shit?" She eventually said.

Chloe's face lit up in delight. "Hella yes, sista! Let's go apeshit on this place." She looked around their immediate vicinity, searching for a suitable implement of destruction. Her gaze came to rest on a crowbar, conveniently resting on a pile of tires a few feet away. "Aha!" She exclaimed, and went to collect her prize. "This will do _very_ nicely." She took a couple of experimental swings, admiring the sound it made as it swished through the air. "Now, what do we beat up first? Oh, I know! Max, I'mma need you to look around for some bottles-"

Max vigorously shook her head. "Oh _hell_ no." She said defiantly. "Last time I did that it took me like twenty minutes and a bunch of bullshit to find them. No offense, Chlo, but I'd rather literally eat a dick before doing that again."

Chloe raised an eyebrow, smiling incredulously. "Woah, dude, I didn't know the bottles traumatised you so much. Chill, we can find something else to smash up."

"Thanks. What about the caddy?" Max said, pointing behind Chloe.

Chloe shrugged. "Sure. It's as good a target as anything." She sidled up to the caddy, and rehearsed winding up her swing. When she was satisfied, she drew back her arms, twisting her torso for maximum kinetic energy. Just as she was about to let rip, Max stopped her.

"Wait!" She said.

Chloe paused, looking confused.

Max dug around in her bag, and retrieved her faithful polaroid camera. She brought the eyepiece up to her face, and began looking for a decent angle. When she thought she had one, she gave a thumbs up.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Should've known." She said to herself. She wound up again, planted her rear foot, and let fly with a triumphant yell. She heard the camera's shutter go off mid-swing, and a nanosecond later the crowbar smashed into the caddy, utterly annihilating the only remaining headlight. A shower of glass and decaying metal landed around her feet. Chloe grinned, and hit it again, with even more force this time. Over and over she assaulted the old car, decimating its fragile chassis. Several times throughout her assault, she heard the click and whirr of Max's camera.

After a couple of minutes, she let the crowbar drop, and sank onto the floor, exhausted. "Shit." She panted. "That's actually a pretty good workout."

Max came over, and dropped down beside her. "Yeah, it looked like it was. You looked pretty intense."

"Yeah?"

"Totally." Max nodded. She presented Chloe with a freshly developed Polaroid. "This one's my favourite."

Chloe looked, and saw herself, limbs fully extended in an overhand strike and a savage grin that made her look like a crazed punk jester. From the low angle the shot had been taken from, the cadillac almost looked like it was cowering before her.

"Holy shit Max, that's an awesome shot!" Chloe cooed over the photo.

Max laughed. "Glad you think so." She eyed the discarded crowbar. "So is that as fun as it looks?"

Chloe grinned. "Hells to the yes it is."

The storm front had almost completely covered the sky by the time they got back into Chloe's beat up truck. The underside of the cloud formation was almost black, and Max could see brief flashes of lightning flaring within the heart of the storm.

"Chloe, maybe we should just go back to yours," she said, eyeing the pendulous clouds warily, "That storm does _not_ look friendly."

"Nah, fuck that." Chloe defiantly said. "I told you we were gonna go to the lighthouse, and that's what were gonna do." She gunned the engine and took off down the road, heading for the lighthouse as fast as she was legally (and sometimes illegally) able.

No sooner had they arrived when the heavens opened, and gifted Arcadia Bay with a truly monstrous downpour. Thick globules of water fell to the ground at such a rate as to almost sting when they hit skin. Those unlucky enough to be caught outside immediately sought shelter, blustering and swearing as they did so. Everyone else stopped what they were doing and gazed out of the nearest window, seemingly impressed at the ferocity of the rainfall.

Max and Chloe, stood as they were on the open cliff next to the lighthouse, caught the full brunt of the deluge. In seconds, their clothes were soaked to the skin, at once heavy and limp to the touch.

Max shivered, even though it was summer, the rain was freezing. "Chloe!" She shouted. "We should go back!"

"Fuck that!" Chloe yelled back. She spread her arms wide. "Look at this, Max! It's like a sign from the Gods or some shit! This storm is just for you and me, I can feel it. And if I'm wrong, Thor can fry me with lightning!"

As if on cue, a bolt of lightning descended from the turbulent sky, hitting the tip of the lighthouse.

"HA!" Chloe shrieked. "Close but no cigar! Give it your A game next time!"

She looked at Max, adrenaline pumping through her veins and a manic grin plastered across rain-soaked skin. "DUDE." She shouted.

"WHAT?" Max shouted back.

"LET'S GET NAKED!" Chloe yelled triumphantly.

Max's eyes went wide as dinner plates. " _WHAT?!_ Chloe you've got to be kidding me."

"Nope." Chloe retorted. "C'mon, Max. When are we gonna have another chance like this? This is _our_ moment, and I'm gonna take it." She stripped off her jacket and dumped it unceremoniously on the ground, swiftly followed by her tank top, leaving her in her bra, jeans and boots. She clenched a fist in front of her face. "Carpe diem, motherfucker."

Max grinned and shook her head. Chloe's endless enthusiasm never failed to infect her. _Why the hell not?_ She thought. She shrugged, flashed Chloe a grin, and took off her hoodie.

"Yes!" Chloe raised both arms in triumph, as Max struggled to get out of her shirt. "Race ya!" She said, and unclipped her bra.

"What? No fair!" Max protested, still caught in her shirt. "You've got a head start!" She said, finally dragging the sodden shirt over her head.

All Chloe did was stick her tongue out and fling her bra at Max, hitting her square in the face.

"Really?" Max said. She flicked the bra to the ground, as it had been dangling from her ear by one of the straps.

Chloe shrugged, trying and failing to conceal a little victorious grin. Max sighed, and started on the rest of her clothing. The two women stripped quickly, throwing their soaked clothes into a soggy pile.

"Now what?" Max said when the last of her clothes were gone. She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to shield herself from the relentlessly driving rain.

Chloe grasped her by the shoulders. A fervent gleam had turned her eyes into pools of liquid energy, and Max found she couldn't look away. Not that she would have wanted to, anyway.

Chloe leaned in, so her rain-slicked forehead rested up against Max's. "Now," She whispered, her voice barely audible above the rain, "We live for the moment."

Suddenly, she tore away from Max, and ran butt-naked up to the cliff edge. For a terrifying fraction of a second, Max thought she was going to go over the lip, but instead Chloe stopped right at the very edge. She turned, and flung her arms wide, as if she were embracing the storm. It was a sight to behold: a pale, naked twenty-two year old, blue hair plastered to her skull and mud coating her feet, and a grin most would describe as maniacal stretching her mouth wide.

"WITNESS ME, MAX!" She yelled. Then, she turned to face the cliff and the raging storm, and screamed out into it. It was a scream of pure, unbridled, joyous passion. A scream of unchained emotion. A scream that said "Fuck you world! I'm here and I'm alive!"

In the middle of it, Max joined her. She took Chloe's hand, flashed her a smile, sucked in her breath and let her own voice meld with Chloe's. Their voices harmonised, grew discordant, separated and joined back together, all within the span of a few seconds. Eventually, they relented, their lungs burning and desperate for air. The two young women looked at one another. No words needed to be said. No platitudes or expressions of affection. They were too connected, too intimate to need something as crude and primitive as words to express themselves. This was their moment to take, a moment they would remember for the rest of their lives. A moment forever carved in time, and nothing would ever change that.

 **Author's Note:** Erhmahgerd a new chapter. I am *acutely* aware I took forever to get this out. Life is, unfortunately, still hella busy, and I'm working on ... uh... *counts* 7 separate fics right now, including this one, as well as a totally original, non-fic Actual Novel. Why do I give myself so much writing to do? Who knows (but probably masochism)?

Anyway, leave feedback and all that jazz if you liked or didn't like this chapter. I know there's, like, a HUGE timeskip in it (chapter 26 was still in Max's second year at Blackwell, I think), but my plan for these last few chapters is to hit some major events, but also leave some windows open in case I want to come back and do the occasional one-shot after the series ends. I'll see you guys in the next chapter, which hopefully won't take anywhere near as long. Peace out.


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